THE POWER OF LIVE PERFORMANCE - Rapid River Magazine

Music director Daniel Meyer 

tells us why 2011-2012 might 

be the best season yet for the 

Asheville Symphony. page 16 

Asheville 

Bravo 

Concerts 

opens its 80th 

season with a 

performance 

by the National 

Acrobats of 

China, one 

of four distinct and dynamic 

performances. page 22 

Kristen Hedberg, Asheville 

Lyric Opera’s new Associate 

Artistic Director, shares a 

behind the scenes peek at 

Madama Butterfly. page 3 

Plus: 

The Altamont Theatre page 19 

Robb Helmkamp, contemporary 

furniture maker page 21 

Sandee Shaffer Johnson, 

owner of the Bizarre Bazaar page 23 

Patti Best, landscape artist page 23 

Heritage Weekend 

at the Folk Art Center page 24 

Blake Sneed of Bogart’s page 37 

Chall Gray and 

steven samuels 

at the Magnetic 

Field. page 17 

The Power 

of Live 

Performance

pg. 20 

A 

13th Season 

ashevillelyric.org 

September 2011 — Rapid RiveR aRtS & CULtURe Magazine — Vol. 15, No. 1 

Diana Wortham Theatre 

Box Office: 828-257-4530

R A P I D R I V E R A R T S 

performance 

inteRview witH 

Kristen Hedberg 

P 

uccini’s Madama Butterfly returns to 

Asheville, this time featuring Jennifer 

Davison, international soprano, in 

the title role. Jon Truitt, acclaimed 

director of last season’s The Magic 

Flute, returns to direct this beautiful new 

production. 

This Italian opera is set in Nagasaki, 

Japan at the turn of the last century. The 

story centers on a young geisha whose life 

is changed forever by an American naval 

officer, exploring the sacrifices she makes 

for true love and the cruelty of the world 

around her. 

Asheville Lyric Opera’s new Associate 

Artistic Director, Kristen Hedberg, joins us 

for a behind the scenes interview. 

Rapid River Magazine: Why did Asheville 

Lyric Opera decide to tackle Madama Butterfly 

again and how will it be different from 

the 2006 version? 

Kristen Hedberg: Moving into season 13, 

we are looking for works that will challenge 

us, pushing us to a higher artistic level by 

demanding more collaboration amongst 

designers, and earlier planning in casting 

and preparation to fully capture the integrity 

of the work. Madama Butterfly is the 

catalyst that will throw us into a full season 

of revived artistic flavor. Comparing our 

last production of Madama Butterfly to the 

upcoming one this season would be like 

comparing apples to oranges. I’ll stop there. 

RRM: How will the design be different this 

time around? 

KH: A new set has been conceived by 

designers Julie K. Ross and Sylvia Pierce’s 

Scenery Concepts, Inc. Julie, our scenic 

artist, was inspired by Japanese rice paper 

paintings and our backdrop will be reminiscent 

of one, with a turquoise wash, tree silhouettes, 

and traditional signature stamping. 

Instead of using Diana Wortham’s traditional 

black floor, an overlay will be built 

out of muslin to extend symmetrical flooring 

from Butterfly’s house, and to enhance 

the natural landscape of a less manicured 

sandy garden and bank. 

The lighting design, by W. Erik Mc- 

Daniel, will be integral to the success of this 

look, as time depiction is crucial to telling 

the story and furthering the dramatic progression. 

Hair and make-up designer, Tricia 

Zinke, will create Asian looks for all but 

the three American characters of the cast, 

including the styling of 23 Japanese wigs; 

seven of which will be geisha. 

RRM: How does music play into this later 

version of Madama Butterfly? 

KH: As a company, we are coming into a 

maturity that allows us to take on some of 

interviewed by dennis rAy 

Kristen Hedberg, Associate Artistic Director, 

Asheville Lyric Opera. 

the often “cut” sections of the opera. The 

orchestral interludes that were cut in the 

last show will be played, which gives the 

director a much greater artistic challenge; 

furthering character and emotional scope 

with the elements while no singing is heard. 

This demands more from the singing 

actors and allows the orchestra to play its 

own character; often, that of Father Time. 

We are excited to see our orchestra, lead by 

renowned concert master, Corine Brouwer 

and conducted by Dr. Robert Hart Baker, 

take on this brave challenge proudly. 

The chorus will also play the comprimario, 

or smaller roles. We have the 

strongest group of theatrical choral singers 

yet this season. Already under the tutelage of 

new chorus master, Andrea Blough, they are 

stepping up their game as well. 

RRM: How long does it take to put on an 

ALO production, from first concept to 

opening night? 

KH: David Starkey chose this work in late 

May, along with the other productions in 

the season. Artistic planning and budget 

configurations began immediately. Casting 

choices were based on previous auditions 

from the prior year. 

I have been working on Madama Butterfly 

consistently five days a week since 

that day, initiating planning meetings for 

concepts, reviewing ways to improve efficiency, 

and empowering the insane amount 

of artistic genius we have in our design and 

production team. It has been inspiring and 

exciting; like climbing uphill, but being in 

better shape this time around. 

Check out ashevillelyric.org for more 

information about the cast and the rest of 

our cool new season, including a Mozart 

opera set in the 1920s, and one of the greatest 

musicals of all time. 

if 

YoU 

go 

Madama Butterfly, October 7-8, 

at 8 p.m. Asheville Lyric Opera, 2 

South Pack Square, Asheville, NC. 

Opera Office (828) 236-0670. Tickets on 

sale September 7. Phone (828) 257-4530. 

www.jewelsthatdance.com 

n a t u r a l b e a u t y 

18k sapphire and diamond 

pendant by Alex Sepkus 

�� 

Vol. 15, No. 1 — Rapid RiveR aRtS & CULtURe Magazine — September 2011



performance 

Asheville Lyric Opera’s 13th Season 

T 

by dAvid CrAig stArkey 

he Asheville Lyric 

Opera’s 13th season for 

2011-2012 will feature 

five main stage events. 

Madama Butterfly 

October 7 & 8, 2011 – 8 p.m., 

by Giacomo Puccini, featuring 

Jennifer Davison, international 

soprano. Jon Truitt directs this 

production set in turn of century 

Japan. A breath-taking and 

moving experience for all. 

the asheville Christmas Show 

November 18, 2011 – 7:30 p.m. 

Seasonal solo and ensemble 

music. 

Così fan tutte (all women are Like that) 

February 17 & 18, 2012 – 8 p.m. Mozart 

classic showcases an ensemble cast exploring 

the stereotypes in relationships within the 

delightful angst of finding true love. 

the Sound of Music 

April 20 & 21, 2012 - 8 p.m.; April 22 - 3 

p.m. This family favorite combines a cast of 

Jennifer Davison, 

international soprano. 

if 

YoU 

go 

children with professional artists 

from the Asheville area. 

taste of opera 

June 9, 2012 – Food at 6 p.m., 

Concert at 7:30 p.m. Repertoire 

from opera, operetta and 

musical theatre. The evening 

includes fine wine and gourmet 

food from 10 or more of 

Asheville’s finest restaurants. 

This one-of-a-kind event 

continues to draw appeal and 

delight. 

Can We 

Walk? 

Walking Together for 

Health and Wellness 

Wellness Walk& 

Know Your Numbers 

Health Screening 

Saturday, September 24 ~ 8:00 AM 

Start & Finish at PSP Reuter Terrace, across from the fire station downtown. 

Sponsor a Walker for $10 

For more information call ABIPA at 251-8364 or 

register online at www.abipa.org 

Leading With Excellence – Serving With Grace 

For information on season 

subscriptions or dress rehearsal 

tickets, auditions, or to request a 

season brochure, please contact ALO at 

(828) 236-0670, or visit www.ashevillelyric. 

org. Single tickets are sold solely through 

Diana Wortham Theatre box office at (828) 

257-4530, beginning September 6. (www. 

dwtheatre.com)

RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE 

Established in 1997 • Volume Fifteen, Number One 

September 2011 

www.rapidrivermagazine.com 

Publisher/Editor: Dennis Ray 

Managing Editor: Beth Gossett 

Marketing: Dennis Ray 

Staff Photographer: Liza Becker 

Layout & Design: Simone Bouyer 

Poetry Editor: Ted Olson 

Proofreader: Mary Wilson 

Accounting: Sharon Cole 

Distribution: Dennis Ray 

CONTRiBuTiNG WRiTERS: 

Rachael Bliss, James Cassara, 

Michael Cole, Amy Downs, 

Beth Gossett, JéWana Grier-McEachin, 

Max Hammonds, MD, Cherry Hart, 

Phil Hawkins, Stephanie Hickling, 

Janna Hoekema, Phil Juliano, 

Chip Kaufmann, Michelle Keenan, 

Eddie LeShure, Amanda Leslie, 

Peter Loewer, Roberta Madden, 

Pamela Miller, April Nance, 

Ted Olson, Michael Parker, 

Dennis Ray, Lindsey Rhoden, 

Ryan Robison, Clara Sofia, 

David Starkey, Greg Vineyard, 

Bill Walz, Joe Zinich. 

iNFO 

Rapid River Arts & Culture Magazine is a 

monthly publication. Address correspondence 

to info@rapidrivermagazine.com or write to: 

Rapid River Arts & Culture Magazine 

85 N. Main St. 

Canton, NC 28716 

Phone: (828) 646-0071 


All materials contained herein are owned and 

copyrighted by Rapid River Arts & Culture 

Magazine and the individual contributors 

unless otherwise stated. Opinions expressed 

in this magazine do not necessarily reflect 

the opinions of Rapid River Arts & Culture 

Magazine or the advertisers found herein. 

© Rapid River Arts & Culture Magazine, 

September 2011 Vol. 15 No. 1 

On the Cover: 

Chall Gray and Steven 

Samuels on the set of the 

Magnetic Field’s latest 

production. page 17 

Photo by Peter Brezny 

3 Interviews 

Kristen Hedberg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Charlie Flynn-Mciver . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 

Daniel Meyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 

4 performance 

Asheville Lyric Opera . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Asheville Symphony Orchestra . . . . 18 

Altamont Theatre. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 

Bravo Concerts Season . . . . . . . . . . . 

8 Columns 

James Cassara - Music . . . . . . . . . . . 8 

Eddie LeShure - Jazz. . . . . . . . . . . . 10 

Greg Vineyard - Fine Art . . . . . . . . 

Joe Zinich - Beer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 

Greg Vineyard – Wine . . . . . . . . . . 7 

Ted Olson - Poetry . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 

Peter Loewer - Thoreau’s Garden . 0 

Bill Walz - Artful Living . . . . . . . . 1 

Max Hammonds, MD - Health . . 

9 music 

Adrian Belew Trio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 

Black Moth Super Rainbow . . . . . . . 10 

David Mayfield Parade . . . . . . . . . . . 11 

LEAF October 20-23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 

12 movie reviews 

15 Noteworthy 

WNCAP – Dr. Polly E. Ross . . . . . . 1 

Asheville Quilt Show. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 

17 Stage preview 

The Magnetic Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 

BeBe Theatre – Dreamland Motel. . 8 

21 Fine Art 

Robb Helmkamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 

Patti Best . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Sandee Shaffer Johnson. . . . . . . . . . . 

Folk Art Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

37 Local Favorites 

Bogart’s – Blake Sneed . . . . . . . . . . . 7 

Fisherman’s Quarters ii . . . . . . . . . . 8 

 

34 What to Do Guide 

Best in Show by Phil Juliano . . . . . 

Callie & Cats by Amy Downs . . . . 

Corgi Tales by Phil Hawkins . . . . 

Dragin by Michael Cole . . . . . . . . 

distributed at more than 90 locations throughout eight counties in wnC and South Carolina. 

first copy is free – each additional copy $1. 0 


we love this place 

nd annUaL inteRnationaL 

daY of peaCe 

Peacetown Asheville and Local 099 of Veterans 

for Peace, Mountain Area Interfaith Forum and 

other allies present the international day of 

peace celebration in Pack Square, wednesday, 

September 1, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. 

Our region joins with hundreds of other communities 

around the world as they observe a 

day of ceasefire from all conflicts locally and 

globally. The International Day of Peace has 

been observed since 1921 through the League of 

Nations, and was later continued by the United 

Nations, which added the goal of the one day 

Julia Gaunt of SpiritWings releases doves at the 

conclusion of 2010’s International Day of Peace. 

cease-fire in 2002. “We’re particularly proud to be dedicating our first hour to our younger generation 

this year,” says event planner Rachael Bliss of Peacetown. “We’re inviting as many kids as 

possible to make Pinwheels for Peace.” 

The second hour will feature keynote speaker Mike Ferner, interim national director of Veterans 

for Peace. Elected leaders will read local proclamations, and Peacetown will introduce its Bring 

our War Dollars Home Resolution that it plans to take the Asheville City Council for adoption 

later this year. The event concludes with Spiritwings’ release of white doves and a “community 

soapbox opportunity” so participants can share their own passions for peace in the region and in 

the world. For more information, contact Rachel Bliss at (828) 505-9425 or email asheville_peacetown@yahoo.com. 

HaYwood’S got taLent – $1000 top pRize 

The Haywood Arts Regional Theater will give area talent a chance to strut their stuff and win 

some top prize money. Contestants are not limited to Haywood County, there is no age limit or 

category restrictions. From musicians, to jugglers, to dancers, to acrobats, all are encouraged to 

audition on September 11 between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., or September 1 beginning at 6:30 p.m. 

Anyone unable to attend auditions may submit a recorded audition to HART at PO Box 1024, 

Waynesville, NC 28786, or email harttheater@gmail.com prior to auditions. Those who get 

past the initial audition will be part of a semifinal round of performances September 16 and 17 

which will be presented as full variety shows on the HART main stage. 

The following week on September at 7:30 p.m. the Finals will be presented as an evening 

featuring the best of the best; those selected out of the semifinal competition. At the end of the 

evening the audience will be allowed to cast a vote. The winner selected by the three judges and 

the audience will be presented with a check for $1000, and the runners up will receive $300 and 

$200 prizes. 

The Performing Arts Center at the Shelton House is located at 250 Pigeon St. in downtown 

Waynesville. The theater’s main auditorium will be the site of the event. A piano is available, but 

no mics will be set up for auditions. Additional information at www.harttheatre.com. 


R A P I D R I V E R A R T S & C U L T U R E M A G A Z I N E 

stage preview 

Part 3 of a 3-Part Discussion 

ConveRSationS witH 

Charlie 

Flynn-McIver 

Charlie Flynn-McIver is the Artistic 

Director of Asheville’s North Carolina 

Stage Company. Last month, 

Flynn-McIver shared his thoughts 

on the future of theatre in Asheville. 

This month we continue our converstaion, 

beginning with the value of theatre. 

RRM: How can we get the government/people 

to believe in theatre and that it is worth 

supporting? 

I think we have to continue making the 

point to lawmakers and the general public 

that theatre is a valuable commodity in our 

community. But we also need to work hard 

to make theatre a valuable commodity in 

our community. There are already important 

ways that the arts impact our daily lives, 

but we need to find other ways that theatre 

Charlie Flynn-McIver in Boeing-Boeing. 

We need the arts 

to be a daily part of 

everyone’s lives. 

becomes important to others than just the 

usual suspects. 

We need theatre and arts as part of the 

education process in schools. We need the 

arts as part of the correctional system in the 

prisons. We need the arts to be a daily part 

of everyone’s lives and theatre has to find a 

way to do that without having to get people 

to pay a lot of money and come to a theatre 

somewhere. I don’t know how this is done 

per se but this is what has to happen. 

RRM: How has fundraising for NC Stage 

changed over the years? 

CfM: It’s gotten harder in some ways, but 

in other ways, it’s been about the same. 

About 4 years ago, NC Stage was awarded a 

recurring General Operating Support grant 

from the NC Arts Council. We are among 

only 4 arts organizations in the community 

(Wortham Theatre, Asheville Arts Museum 

and Asheville Symphony are the others) to 

receive this grant. 

I can’t tell you how grateful and proud 

we are to have made it into this league in 

the first 10 years of our existence. It’s quite 

an accomplishment and it helps us, not only 

with our general operating needs but with 

raising money with local foundations and 

individuals. It gives us a certain stamp of 

approval from the North Carolina Department 

of Cultural Resources that we’re a 

dependable and sustainable organization that 

would be safe to contribute money to. But 

fundraising continues to be a one person at a 

time kind of endeavor. 

A lot of people think there must be 

some silver bullet organizations or fundraiser 

party that will solve all their funding 

needs. It’s not that way. It might have been 

at one time but now it’s about individual 

6 September 2011 — Rapid RiveR aRtS & CULtURe Magazine — Vol. 15, No. 1 


relationships with your donors. Speaking 

with them one on one and engaging them in 

your organization. 

RRM: What does it mean for a community to 

have live theatre? 

CfM: Well, it means you have a gathering 

place where ideas are shared and individuals 

become a group. A place where you can be 

entertained and challenged all at the same 

time. A place where you can experience 

conflicting emotions at the same time. A 

place that reflects life for examination and 

implementation and, as Shakespeare said, 

hold the mirror up to nature. It also means 

that surrounding restaurants and businesses 

have help in attracting people to their location. 

My speech talks of a few more things. 

RRM: What’s the greatest threat to theatre? 

CfM: Of course performing arts are threatened 

by the ease of entertainment options 

these days. You can watch a movie, streaming 

online, at ANY moment. You can watch 

bits of stuff for free on Youtube. There is an 

immediacy of stuff today that simply can’t 

be met with theatre. We hold performances 

at a specific time and at a specific place and 

we must convene a group of people. Plus, 

it’s expensive to produce. So these are all out 

there. 

But I believe the biggest threat to 

theatre is apathy among the producers of 

theatre. The belief that what you’re doing 

is good enough. It never is. I assume that 

everyone coming to the theatre needs to 

be won over to loving theatre. So you have 

this one chance to change their perception 

of theatre from this boring thing that their 

parents forced them to go to when they 

were kids, to this relevant and vital art form 

that they don’t know how they lived without 

before. 

And if you squander that opportunity, 

you put another nail in the coffin of live 

theatre. If someone comes to a play and their 

response is, “Meh,” then all is lost. I would 

almost rather them leave outraged and on 

a vendetta AGAINST live theatre than feel 

that it’s mediocre. But of course it would 

be best if audiences came away saying that 

it was amazing and they can’t wait to tell a 

friend about it. And you need that reaction 

from total strangers. Not your buddies that 

love everything you do. 

RRM: What’s the biggest myth about live 

theatre? 

CfM: Two answers. To the general public: 

Theatre is harder than it looks. But you 

should never see how hard it is. The easier 

something looks on stage, the longer it’s 

been rehearsed, the more skilled the actors, 

designers and director and the more 

nuanced it has become over the course of 

rehearsing and performing it. In order to do 

a lot of this, a theatre needs to be run like a 

business. 

I was talking to some bankers the other 

day and describing cash flow needs in our 

theatre and trying to get them to understand 

things like how we have to have a bond in 

New York for the union members, and that 

money is taken out of our cash flow. There 

are times when the money flows better than 

others with ticket sales, fundraising appeals 

and subscription sales, and there are slow 

times when there’s not enough revenue generating 

activity to keep bringing in money. 

Creating revenue generating activity costs 

money to produce. They looked at me and 

said, “Wow. I never thought of it before, but 

that’s just like any small business!” Duh! 

To people who would produce theatre: 

Theatre is harder than it looks. I don’t know 

why this is, but so many people view theatre 

as something they can do. And to a certain 

extent I get it. I mean, you can’t say you’re a 

musician unless you can play an instrument. 

You can’t call yourself a dancer unless 

you can act. You can’t call yourself a 

pilot unless you can fly a plane, and have a 

license. Ditto for lawyer and accountant and 

so on. But because theatre seems to be about 

getting up in front of people and just speaking 

while pretending to be someone else, so 

many people think it’s something they can 

and should do. 

Expressing an emotion is not acting. 

Eliciting laughter from an audience is not 

acting. Acting is a complex task of figuring 

out what a character’s belief system is that 

makes them do what they do in a play and 

then, using skills learned over a lifetime of 

classes, professional and life experiences, 

and a very vivid imagination, putting that 

character on display in front of an audience 

as just a part of the whole play. 

Theatre is about expressing the human 

condition and the human condition is FAR 

more complex than people want to think 

about. Sometimes characters’ actions are 

hard to explain without limiting the character 

with your own limited experience. A 

really good playwright has crafted a play that 

deftly catches characters and their best and 

worst of behavior. 

An actor’s job is to figure out why the 

character is behaving the way he is. It usually 

has to do with an unfulfilled need. Emotion 

is the by-product of an unfulfilled need. So 

to theatre people out there, when you think 

you’ve nailed something about a character’s 

behavior or a playwright’s intent, assume 

you haven’t and ask yourself one more time, 

“Why do they want this? To what ends?” 

Figure out the answer and then ask the 

same question to those answers. See how 

it doesn’t end? And that it’s maddening? 

There ya go. Now you’re getting to what it 

means to do theatre. 

Read all three parts of this conversation 

online at www.rapidrivermagazine.com

Vol. 15, No. 1 — Rapid RiveR aRtS & CULtURe Magazine — September 2011 7

pg. 39 

J 


R A P I D R I V E R A R T S & C U L T U R E 

spinning 

discs 

CD Reviews 

by James Cassara 

Sam Phillips 

Solid State: 

Songs from the 

Long Play 

Litterbox 

Records 

Just how great 

is it to have a new 

album from Sam Phillips? This gloriously 

talented queen of acid pop has been far too 

long absent from the above ground scene, 

limiting her prosaic masterpieces to a trickle 

of EP releases streamed via the internet and 

available to only a select few. 

Solid State (originally titled Camera 

in the Sky and reconfigured/renamed at 

the eleventh hour) is the first “proper” full 

length record since 2008. That’s a relatively 

short time for most artists but for someone 

as boundlessly creative and productive as 

Phillips it seems much longer. 

As with most of her albums Solid 

State feels a bit like a riddle, a smaller 

piece of a much larger whole waiting to be 

dissected. It’s a startling departure from 

her last few albums; gone are the layers of 

harpsichord, viola, and drum synths that 

dominated her post 2000 work, scrapped 

in favor of a basic guitar/drums/keyboards 

ensemble with an emphasis not so much 

on studio tinkering but rather towards 

solid traditional songwriting. 

Not that it sounds the least bit settled 

– Phillips is far too inventive to ever allow 

stasis to creep into her work – but the 

stripped down instrumentation and up 

front vocals simply match the nature of 

the material. 

The opening “Tell Me,” which clocks 

in at a brisk one minute, might well be the 

most straightforward song she’s ever recorded, 

a linear declaration of need from an artist 

who rarely makes her intentions known. 

Behind a great hook Phillips lets out with a 

lover’s plea and the need to start again: “Tell 

me it’s all in my heart, not my head/ tell me 

you’ve forgotten everything I’ve said” are 

not words of comfort or certainty but they 

do come direct from the heart. 

“When I’m a Camera” is more typically 

obscure in its stylish manifestation 

but it’s also the most sincere and deeply 

personal song here, a perfect finale to this 

uniquely satisfying effort. The ten songs 

that make up Solid State are often quiet 

and playful and profound, as one has come 

to expect from Sam Phillips. It’s another 

milestone from an artist who can seemingly 

conjure up such wonderful music at 

will, once again setting an impossibly high 

standard and surpassing it. ****1/2 

I’m back again with a wide selection of artists and styles. With 

summer winding down it seems the music this month has taken 

a more mellow turn. Just remember that no matter what your 

tastes, be sure to support the many fine independent records 

stores that Asheville is so fortunate to have. Year after year they 

are keeping it real! 

J.D. Souther 

Natural History 

E One Music 

Perhaps the 

ultimate “behind the 

scenes” songwriter, 

J.D. Souther has 

penned numerous 

hits for others, most notably The Eagles, 

while maintaining a relatively low profile 

solo career. 

His last album, 2008’s if the World Was 

You, was his first record in almost a quarter, 

and while the jazzy compositions weren’t 

cut from the Southern California countryrock 

cloth for which he is best known, the 

album garnered strong reviews and surprisingly 

solid sales. 

His latest, Natural History, takes a different 

tack; it features his own versions of 

songs that made the charts for others while 

making Souther a wealthy man. Those who 

are familiar with the popular translations 

(and you’d have to be living on the moon 

not to be) may be surprised at how much 

more honest and unfiltered these takes are. 

Certainly “Best of my Love” and “New 

Kid in Town” were two of the most cringeworthy 

hits of the 70s but here, with a more 

organic arrangement, they actually sound 

fresh and alive. The spare backing, dominated 

by piano and acoustic guitar, part with 

only the occasional quiet acoustic bass and 

drums (as well as a few select horn augmentations) 

to bring out the beauty of the melodies 

as well as the unexpectedly thoughtful 

lyrics. Who knew? 

“Prisoner in Disguise” and “Faithless 

Love,” both made famous by Linda 

Ronstadt, are well suited to Souther’s own, 

slightly grainy tenor and he delivers them 

with the time-worn hurt they deserve: 

These are stories filled with lonely people 

longing for a bit of succor in an otherwise 

cruel and harsh world, often finding joy 

only in the equally disjointed. 

So while you’ll certainly hear the 

echoes of the more famous recordings of 

these songs you’ll just as likely to wonder 

why it took Souther so long to reclaim them 

for himself. And after a few listens you’ll be 

glad he did. **** 

Kasey Chambers 

Little Bird 

Liberation 

Records 

As the appointed 

leader of the Australian 

country music movement (and how 

many of you knew Oz even had one) Kasey 

Chambers has been a pivotal figure in modern 

era pop. She’s simultaneously managed 

to elevate the status of female singers, Australia, 

and the genre while still maintaining a 

high degree of artistic integrity. 

That’s no simple feat; Chambers has 

balanced upon that delicate tightrope by 

staying focused on refining her sound and 

expanding her horizons, which is why Little 

Bird presents such a conundrum. 

While firmly ensconced in all things 

Nashville, from the “oh so country darlin’ 

photo shoot” to enlisting ace session man 

Shane Nicholson to oversee the sessions, the 

package just screams country chic. Unfortunately 

the definition of country found 

herein leans toward the over processed hash 

that has dominated the air waves over the 

past decade. 

While there is an undeniable romantic 

vibe that keeps much of the album palatable, 

and while Chambers’ own winsome voice 

is as engaging as ever, much of Little Bird 

sadly emphasizes sheen over substance. 

With few exceptions (notably on the 

“Bring Back My Heart”), the arrangements 

fail to sustain any real tension or muscle, as 

if Chambers is dancing around a nippy pond 

but resists plunging right in. Most of Little 

Bird explores such similar themes as love of 

family (“Somewhere”) or nature (“Down 

Here On Earth”) which is in itself fine; 

country music has long been dependent on 

archetypes and there’s really no reason to 

change that. 

But while the best of standard country 

can tap into the melancholic sentimentality 

within us all, Chambers hasn’t quite grasped 

the subtle difference between cliché and 

classic. She might well be delivering her 

tunes with honesty and conviction but in the 

end it’s the material that matters and in that 

regards Little Bird barely takes flight. **1/2 

Madeleine 

Peyroux 

Standing on the 

Rooftop 

Decca 

There are few 

things in modern 

music more endlessly interesting than the 

ongoing evolution of Madeleine Peyroux. 

Since emerging in the mid-1990’s as an artist 

worth watching, her work has been a lesson 

in calculated risk and wild abandon. 

Born in Georgia and raised in Southern 

California, Brooklyn, and Paris, Peyroux has 

fused those various influences into a style 

that is as seamless as it is shimmering, at 

‘CD’s’ continued on next page


what’s happening 

Countdown to MoogFest: the Adrian Belew Power Trio 

although over a three decade career adrian Belew has played 

with some of rock’s biggest names, he remains one of the most 

underrated and criminally overlooked guitarists of recent times. 

H 

is solo work, as well as his tenure 

with the power pop quartet 

The Bears, has been a lesson in 

versatility and chameleon-like 

stylistic changes, always plying 

his trade to enhance the sound of those 

around him. 

Like all great guitarists, Belew has his 

own recognizable sound, equal parts idiosyncratic, 

piercing, and crunching, and 

is an incredibly dynamic player, always 

finding how best to make his style fit into 

a wide variety of musical genres. Whether 

it be hard rock, funk, new wave, experimental, 

or Beatles-like pop, Belew has a 

unique way of making it his own. Born 

in Covington, Kentucky, the 62 year old 

Belew caught the musical bug at an early 

age. His first instrument of interest was 

the drums, initially playing in his high 

school’s marching band. But shortly after 

his discovery of the Beatles, Belew picked 

‘CD’s’ continued from page 8 

once both wildly expansive and deeply personal. 

Dreamland, her majestic 1996 debut, 

remains a touchstone both of her career and 

of the decade. Since then Peyroux has been 

no less experimental, making records that 

are often exhilarating, occasionally baffling, 

but never dull. 

Following closely on the heels of 2009’s 

Bare Bones (her only album of all original 

material), Standing on the Rooftop guides 

her music in yet another direction. Teamed 

with producer Craig Street, the sound is as 

diverse and eclectic as she’s ever allowed it 

to be: The eight originals and four covers 

are rooted equally in parlor room blues, 

classic Americana, torch jazz, and summer-y 

pop. 

Much of that is a direct result of the artists 

involved: Decca fronted a budget large 

enough to include such names as drummer 

Charlie Drayton; guitarists Christopher 

Bruce and Marc Ribot; bassist Me’Shell 

Ndegeocello; and keyboardist Patrick Warren 

(not to mention Allen Toussaint!) , 

which gives Peyroux the opportunity to flex 

her considerable musical strengths. And 

what strengths they are. 

From the deliberate leisure of Mc- 

Cartney’s “Martha My Dear” to the studio 

indulgence of Robert Johnson’s “Love in 

Vain” (replete with echoing pump organ 

and Ribot’s Robert Fripp-like guitar work) 

up the guitar, teaching himself how to play 

and to write original songs. 

First coming into his own as a member 

of Zappa’s Baby Snakes era band, he quickly 

became one of the most sought after players 

in rock. He seemed to be everywhere: working 

as a studio practitioner (Paul Simon’s 

Graceland), and touring extensively with 

The Talking Heads and David Bowie. Following 

the release of 1992’s Lone Rhino, 

his first solo record, Belew opted to join the 

newly reconfigured King Crimson. That 

line up, Belew, Robert Fripp, Bill Bruford, 

and Tony Levin, became one of the most 

successful in the group’s long (and at times 

convoluted) history. 

For the next two decades Belew seesawed 

between Crimson and a variety of 

solo efforts, all the while making occasional 

stops with the Tom Tom Club, Nine Inch 

Nails, Primus, and other bands. He has by 

his own admission accumulated nearly one 

there’s nary a moment to catch your breath. 

Her own material soars just as high, with 

such delights as the bare bones funk of “The 

Kind You Can’t Afford” (co-written with 

former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman) and 

“Meet Me in Rio” rounding out an already 

stellar selection. 

In some way Standing on the Rooftop 

is not as immediately arresting as her other 

efforts, but I fully suspect its subtle pleasures 

will grow with repeated listens. I am 

equally certain that Madeleine Peyroux will 

continue to amaze and endear as an artist of 

the first rank. **** 

America 

My Back Pages 

E One Music 

From their 

earliest AM radiohit-making 

days, 

America rarely shied away from their influences. 

Neil Young tells the story of hearing 

“Horse with No Name” and thinking, “I 

don’t remember recording that!” But for 

the most part they carved out a comfortable 

“southern California brings me down” niche 

and stayed with it. 

Even after founding member Danny 

Peek bolted for the prosaic pastures of 

Christian music, Dewey Bunnel and Gerry 

Beckley soldiered bravely on with a sound 

that rarely left the middle of the road. You 

hundred hours of unreleased music, with 

plans to eventually release a portion via his 

web site, and remains one of music’s busiest 

artists. 

His latest project came together in early 

2006 when Belew played a benefit show for 

a fledging Brooklyn music program. It was 

there that he reacquainted with ex-Bowie 

guitarist Early Slick and met his sister, bassist 

Julie Slick. The three quickly meshed, 

laid down some tracks, and began as series 

of relatively low key North American tours. 

That led to a subsequent Euro tour and still 

to be released studio album. 

Belew continues his hectic session work 

either dug it or you didn’t. 

My Back Pages follows their minor 

2007 comeback Here & Now by shifting 

from the present to the past. It also marks 

their move to a smaller independent label, 

something that in the band’s earliest days 

would have been unheard of. 

But these are of course different times, 

ones in which the label has become increasingly 

insignificant. As to the music itself 

Bunnell and Beckley take the safer path. 

There are no great surprises in the song 

selection, with a strong reliance on sixties 

icons like Dylan, Simon, Joni Mitchell, 

and Brian Wilson, but they two do throw 

in a few ringers in tunes from Fountains 

of Wayne, the Gin Blossoms and the New 

Radicals. 

Most of the arrangements stay close to 

the originals so My Back Pages succeeds or 

fails on the harmonies, and in that regards 

the two haven’t missed a beat, turning 

these familiars into something that sound 

distinctly like the rest of their records. It’s 

comfortable and engaging without being 

complacent, and for those who have followed 

the band since “back in the day” I 

suspect that’s more than enough. *** 

Joe Jackson Trio 

Live Music: Europe 2010 

Razor and Tie Records 

This solid sample of the stripped down 

by JAmes CAssArA 

schedule, along 

with the intermittent 

solo project, 

and while nothing 

is certain, plans 

for another King 

Crimson revival 

do seem possible. 

But it’s the Power 

Trio that currently 

occupies his time 

and energy, and as with all things Adrian 

Belew, any attempt at predicting which 

course it might take is futile. Phase one 

is even now unfolding, and fans of his 

vast output, not to mention guitar geeks 

in general, would be well advised to take 

this opportunity to hear a master at work. 

if 

YoU 

go 

The Adrian Belew Power Trio 

at MoogFest, October 28-30. 

Precise times and locations 

are still to be determined. For more 

information go to www.moogfest.com 

Jackson band 

– bassist/vocalist 

Graham Maby 

and drummer 

Dave Houghton 

– provides ample 

proof that while 

Jackson’s hit making 

days might be 

behind him there 

is plenty of performing fuel left in the tank. 

The man himself is in fine form with 

a voice that, while perhaps not as sustained 

as it once was, still has plenty of strength 

and shade. As to the piano playing Jackson 

takes a back seat to no one, with a style 

that straddles jazz, straight ahead rock, and 

romantic swing. 

Weighted heavily towards his 1982 masterpiece 

Night and Day, certainly one of the 

seminal recordings of that decade, the selection 

also includes a few oddities, including 

covers of the Beatles (“Girl”), Ian Dury 

(“Inbetweenies”), and Bowie ( a pulsating 

“Scary Monsters”). 

The arrangements are sparse but satisfying, 

and while the tenor isn’t as forceful 

as the band during its 1980’s prime, Live 

on Tour Europe (the third live disc of his 

catalog), it is such an unexpected pleasure 

that I’ll even forgive the absence of “Is She 

Really Going out with Him?” After all, a 

man can’t have everything, can he? **** 



music 

Black Moth Super Rainbow, June 2007 

Photo: Sarah Cass 

wnC Jazz profiles: Mark Guest 

“post-adulthood” is the place that jazz guitarist Mark guest 

now hangs his hat. 

D 

on’t get me wrong, raising my 

kids was huge for me, but now 

that they’re grown and gone, 

well… life goes on!” says Mark. 

Prior to Hurricane Katrina, 

Mark was actively gigging in the Mississippi 

Gulf Coast and New Orleans 

region, but after Katrina, Mark’s music 

career began taking center stage in his life. 

“Before the storm, I had a day job 

in public finance, enough jazz gigs every 

week to keep me happy, and a nice home 

near the beach. I lived an interesting 

arts-oriented community and had New 

Orleans nearby. When Katrina wiped us 

out, all that changed,” says Guest. Mark’s 

home, most of his guitar collection, and 

much of his community were destroyed 

by the hurricane. 

“After the storm, I had invitations to 

play in venues literally around the world. 

My wife and I planned to take a portion 

of our homeowner’s insurance money 

and follow the gigs around the world for 

a year or two.” They didn’t count on an 

insurer that did not want to honor their 

claims until two years after the loss. Now 

Mark’s performances are booked on the 

quality of the music, not what he calls the 

“Katrina Factor”. 

Mark has been a popular addition 

at jazz festivals and in venues from New 


Moth Super Rainbow 

Black 

Finding reliable tidbits about the enigmatically 

named Black Moth Super 

Rainbow is both notoriously difficult 

and richly rewarding; a fact of which 

the Pittsburgh based band is not only 

aware but keenly proud. 

Emerging from the steel city’s underground 

music scene, the group, at first 

a five piece ensemble with such unusual 

nomenclatures as Tobacco, the Seven Fields 

of Aphelion, Power Pill Fist, Iffernaut, and 

Father Hummingbird, BMSR have continually 

changed direction while remaining 

intentionally secretive in regards to their 

true origins. 

With a sound that nodded towards contemporary 

retro-chic electronic acts like Air 

and the Octopus Project (who they would 

eventually collaborate with), the group 

released their first album, Falling through 

a Field, in 2003. Operating out of a hidden 

location somewhere in rural Pennsylvania, 

over the course of three years the group re- 

Orleans to the Gulf Coast, the Eastern 

Seaboard, to Toronto and Western 

Canada. Now residing in Asheville, 

he happily travels to various performances. 

“We decided that Katrina gave 

us an opportunity to change our lives 

for the better, and that’s what I’m doing. 

Playing this music for appreciative 

audiences is such a fulfilling element 

of my life that, in some ways, I’m 

grateful for the alterations that Katrina 

brought.” claims Mark. 

Raised in Toronto, Canada, 

Mark was a fan of jazz early on. He 

remembers, “During the early 1970’s I 

became a teenaged ‘jazz snob’ and regularly 

hung out listening to jazz players like Lenny 

Breau, Ed Bickert, Sonny Greenwich, Don 

Thompson and Terry Clark. I also was 

exposed to the avant-garde/free jazz scene 

that was happening at the time. It was a real 

eye-opening experience to play with guys 

like Al Greg, who was pretty far out there in 

the free jazz world.” 

While largely self-taught, Mark has 

studied with noted musical luminaries such 

as Toronto guitarists Lenny Breau, Lorne 

Lofsky, and New Orleans guitarists Phil 

DeGruy, and Hank Mackie. 

Noted NYC jazz critic George Kanzler 

provided liner notes to Mark’s “Happy Together” 

CD, a project he calls “an impres- 

Mark Guest Photo: Frank Zipperer 


leased two more albums, Start a People and 

Lost Picking Flowers in the Woods. 

A critically acclaimed collaboration with 

the Octopus Project, 2006’s The House of 

Apples and Eyeballs, combined with a successful 

debut at that year’s South by Southwest 

Festival, catapulted the group into the 

indie limelight. Their psychedelic hued 

fourth release, Dandelion Gum, followed 

less than a year later, a time during which 

various members released solo projects and 

other off-kilter delights. 

Regrouping in 2009 with producer 

Dave Fridmann, best known for his work 

with The Flaming Lips and MGMT, their 

next release, Eating us, was their most 

accessible and pop oriented effort to date. 

Released on the Grave Face label, the album 

was best described by the band as “a dark 

bubblegum freak out” of sound. The band’s 

sive album.” He added, “He’s a guitarist 

who lets his solos unfurl out of the tunes 

he’s playing, songfully, with a mellow tone 

from his Ribbecke Halfling blue guitar. His 

solo improvisations reference the melodies, 

enhancing rather than abandoning them 

as his imagination takes wings on the frets. 

Whether plush chords or ringing single 

notes, his solos tend to trace a definite narrative 

arc, a strong melodic thread weaving 

through their harmonies and rhythm.” 

Mark can be found playing solo, in duo 

settings in the Mark Guest Jazz Duologues 

(along with various accompanists, including 

bass, piano, tuba, sax, voice, and flute) and 

group settings ranging from his “Bop/Pop 

Trio” to larger groups. While remaining 

first fully hi-fi record, made with a budget 

approaching respectability, Eating us gave 

adequate space to BMSRs off-kilter melodies 

and knack for studio trickery that actually 

adds something to the music. 

Now a six piece band, Black Moth Super 

Rainbow admits the entire project could 

“could come or go at any time”. Knowing 

the incendiary nature of their existence, the 

band relishes each day out on the road. This 

is precisely why you should go see them. 

Who knows what tomorrow, or even later 

today, might bring? 

if 

YoU 

go 

Black Moth Rainbow, with special 

guests Dosh and Marshmallow 

Ghosts, perform Friday, September 

16 at The Grey Eagle. Tickets are priced 

at $12 advance / $15 day of show for this 9 

p.m., standing room only, show. Advance 

tickets available online, at our local outlets, 

and at Static Age in downtown Asheville. 

by eddie Leshure 

firmly rooted in the jazz tradition, Mark 

brings unique approaches to non-standard 

repertoire as varied as the 1960s’ 

Hollies’ “Bus Stop” to the blues. 

“One of the great joys of living 

in our mountain community is some 

of the wonderful new artists who’ve 

decided to make Asheville home. 

I’ve had the honor of sharing the 

stage with guitarist Mark Guest on 

several occasions at a local restaurant 

venue called the Chop House. Mark 

brings a musical spark to a performance 

that’s refreshing and new to 

our area, plus he’s a great melodist 

and arranger of tunes with a conceptual 

balance between improvisation 

and well-known material that the 

listener can latch onto. This refreshing 

brew Mark creates is something 

not to be missed.” 

~ Bassist Eliot Wadopian 

www.markguest.net 

www.facebook.com/markguestjazz 

Share eddie LeShure’s 

passion for jazz with 

Jazz Unlimited on Main 

fM each wednesday 

7-10 p.m., at 10 . or 

Main-fM.org.


music 

David Mayfield Parade 

It’s always gratifying 

when success 

comes to those 

who have toiled 

hardest, and in 

that regards David 

Mayfield is most deserving. 

After years of 

balancing music with 

day jobs Mayfield is 

the very definition of 

“working musician.” A 

three week tour is followed 

by time at home 

fulfilling the mundane 

chores of domestic 

life, all the while laying 

the groundwork for 

the next trip out. It is 

no wonder then that 

Mayfield relishes every 

opportunity to play 

music: Tasting the bitter makes the sweet 

even more so. 

As a member of folk rock favorites 

Cadillac Sky (whose last album Letters in 

The Deep was produced by Dan Auerbach 

of the Black Keys) the Grammy nominated 

Mayfield knows too well the fine line between 

following your dream and succumbing 

to the harsh realities of life. 

Growing up in rural Ohio, David was 

surrounded by Bluegrass music. At the age 

of twelve he was playing bass for the family 

band, traveling from festival to festival, along 

with his younger sister, noted songstress, 

Jessica Lea Mayfield. Listening intently to 

the stories and lessons taught by road-seasoned 

veterans he took every opportunity to 

learn a new lick on guitar or master a different 

harmony. By the time he was a teenager, 

Mayfield had won several national awards 

for his guitar and mandolin playing and his 

reputation was being forged in the world of 

Bluegrass as a figure worth watching. 

But things changed when the family 

parked their bus in the heart of Country 

Music USA. Settling in Nashville, with the 

hopes of finding a steady gig that would 

allow for some stability, David’s father 

took a job in a machine shop working the 

graveyard shift, while 16-year-old David was 

hired on to sweep the floors. Once the last 

day shift worker and office staffer had left 

the building, voices would soar over the roar 

of machinery. Father and son, while working 

to keep the family afloat, would simply 

sing as if they hadn’t a care in the world. 

David Mayfield 

By the time he was a teenager, 

Mayfield had won several 

national awards for his guitar and 

mandolin playing. 

Mayfield recalls it as 

“some of my happiest 

memories.” 

The family 

eventually moved back 

to their hometown 

in Ohio but David 

returned a few years 

later and, after a year 

of knocking around 

the tourist filled 

honky-tonks that line 

downtown Nashville, 

he auditioned for rising 

country star Andy 

Griggs. Mayfield got 

the gig and hit the 

road, eventually landing 

several appearances 

on the coveted Grand Ole Opry stage. 

In 2008 when Jessica Lea Mayfield was 

ready to make her debut record, she asked 

David to play bass on it. It was an offer he 

couldn’t refuse, and over the next year he 

would tour as her bassist, and as a newly 

minted member of Cadillac Sky, all while 

writing and performing his own songs. 

That same year he produced and 

engineered an album for his longtime 

friend Barry Scott. Much to everyone’s 

surprise the album (in Gods Time) 

went on to earn a Grammy nomination 

in the Southern Gospel category. 

But it was while on the road with 

Jessica that Avett Brothers, Scott and 

Seth took notice of Mayfield’s musicianship 

and the three quickly developed 

a friendship, leading them to invite him 

to sit in with them on a number of shows, 

including their 2010 Bonnaroo & Merlefest 

appearances. After strongly urging he make a 

record of his own, Mayfield finally acquiesced, 

an effort to which the Avett’s were 

quick to lend their voices. 

David Mayfield Parade is the culmination 

of that encouragement. The album 

reflects the numerous influences that 

come from a lifetime of being immersed in 

Americana and channeling its unique forms 

with sincerity and celebration from the howl 

of early rock-n-roll, to the low lonesome 

twang of folk and country with a voice that 

is all at once heartbreaking and inherently 

hopeful. Sometimes nice guys do finish first 

(or at least finish) and in the case of David 

Mayfield this is just the beginning. 

if 

YoU 

go 


The David Mayfield Parade at 

Pisgah Brewing Company in Black 

Mountain, Saturday, September 3. 

Showtime is 7 p.m. with tickets priced at 

$20-$25: Ages 21 and older only. 

Photo: Lisa-Marie Mazzucco 

Simone Dinnerstein 

upcoming 

OCTOBER 15, 2011 

SORCERER’S 

APPRENTICE 

2 0 1 1 - 2 0 1 2 SEASON 

Daniel Meyer, Music Director 

Call for tickets today! 

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 17 • 8pm 

OPENING NIGHT: 

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 

Adams Lollapalooza 

Ravel Piano Concerto in G 

Simone Dinnerstein, piano 

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 

SPONSOR 

NOVEMBER 19, 2011 

MAHLER’S “RESURRECTION” 

SYMPHONY 

FOR TICKETS AND MORE INFORMATION 

828.254.7046 � www.ashevillesymphony.org 

Going Beyond Racism 

Through Understanding & Respect 

Join us for compelling dialogue, 

community building, and a call to action. 

NEXT NINE WEEK SESSION 

�� 

September 12 - November 7, 2011 

$30 Registration Fee Includes Materials 

Special Discount for Public School Teachers!!! 

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Register at www.buildingbridges-asheville.org or 777-4585 


Reel Take Reviewers: 

CHip KaUfMann is a film historian who 

also shares his love of classical music 

as a program 

host on wCQSfM 

radio. 

MiCHeLLe 

Keenan is 

a long time 

student 

of film, a 

believer in 

the magic of 

movies and a 

fundraiser for 

public radio. 

Illustration of Michelle 

& Chip by Brent Brown. 

BRent BRown is a graphic 

designer and illustrator. 

view more of his work at 

www.brentbrown.com. 

Captain America: The First 

Avenger ∑∑∑∑ 

Short Take: Old school period action flick 

stays true to its roots in telling the story 

of 1940s superhero Captain America. 

ReeL taKe: For the first time in quite a 

while, I find myself in agreement with most 

of the critics concerning Captain America. 

It is a good, old fashioned, refreshingly free 

of angst superhero movie that channels the 

pre-Batman superhero movies of yore when 

entertainment was first and foremost and 

subtext was completely unnecessary. We 

live in age of uncertainty and anxiety and 

theatre directory 

asheville pizza & Brewing Company 

Movieline (828) 254-1281 

www.ashevillepizza.com 

Beaucatcher Cinemas (asheville) 

Movieline (828) 298-1234 

Biltmore grande 

1-800-FANDANGO #4010 

www.REGmovies.com 

Carmike 10 (asheville) 

Movieline (828) 298-4452 

www.carmike.com 

Carolina Cinemas 

(828) 274-9500 

www.carolinacinemas.com 

Cinebarre (asheville) 

www.cinebarre.com 

the falls theatre (Brevard) 

Movieline (828) 883-2200 

fine arts theatre (asheville) 

Movieline (828) 232-1536 

www.fineartstheatre.com 

flat Rock theatre (flat Rock) 

Movieline (828) 697-2463 

www.flatrockcinema.com 

four Seasons (Hendersonville) 

Movieline (828) 693-8989 

Smoky Mountain Cinema (waynesville) 

Movieline (828) 452-9091 

apparently want our 

superheroes to have 

those traits as well. 

Not me. I prefer my 

comic book heroes to 

be, for lack of a better 

word, super. 

I’m sure the 

1940s setting has 

something to do with 

that. Imagine Christian 

Bale’s Bruce 

Wayne in World War 

II? Not a chance. 

What we have is the 

classic story of the underdog 

making good 

when the proverbial 

90 lb weakling Steve 

Rogers (marvelously 

rendered in CGI to 

make Chris Evans 

look like a 90 lb weakling) is transformed 

into a super soldier complete with G.I. Joe 

physique and super athletic powers. His 

commanding officer (Tommy Lee Jones) 

has no use for him so he is dubbed Captain 

America, complete with red, white, and blue 

uniform so that he can sell war bonds. However, 

a sharp and attractive British agent 

named Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) sees 

his potential and helps him to realize it. 

The villain of the piece is a good one, 

uber-German Johann Schmidt, a.k.a. Red 

Skull (Hugo Weaving) who also has Captain 

America’s powers but not his looks. His 

plans are for nothing less than total world 

domination (including Hitler’s Germany) 

by the use of secret high tech armaments 

provided by evil Doctor Armin Zola (Toby 

Jones). The good doctor (Stanley Tucci) 

who created both men has been eliminated 

so it’s up to the Captain to save the day, 

which, of course, he does. 

Director Joe Johnston has both good 

(The Rocketeer, October Sky) and bad 

(The Wolfman, Jumanji) in his resume so 

the question I had going in was: On which 

side of the ledger would Captain America 

fall? The 4-star rating I gave it answers that 

question. In addition to good performances, 

a script that works, and CGI in the service 

of the story, the 1940s period recreation 


Chris Evans as Captain 

America: The First Avenger 

is ready to defend his ground 

against all challenges. 

is outstanding, complete with a 

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy musical 

number that will bring back cheers 

and vivid memories to some. 

With a 79% critical rating and a 

78% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, 

for my money, this is the 

summer blockbuster to see. This 

was clearly the favorite of all the 

movies I reviewed for this issue. 

Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi 

violence and action. 

review by Chip kAufmAnn 

Cowboys & Aliens 

∑∑∑1/2 

Short Take: This hybrid of 

Western and Science Fiction 

starts off well, loses steam 

halfway through, and ends on a 

low note. 

ReeL taKe: Cowboys & Aliens was something 

of a frustrating experience for me. It 

started off well, ran out of steam a little over 

halfway through, and then totally tanked 

in the last 30 minutes. That’s really too bad 

because it had a lot going for it. 

Cross-pollinating 

the Western with other 

genres is nothing new. 

There were vampires in 

Curse of the Undead 

(1959), hippies in Zachariah 

(1971), and who 

could forget Blazing Saddles 

(1974)? There were 

even sci-fi elements as far 

back as 1935 with Gene 

Autrey and The Phantom 

Empire, and don’t forget 

that Star Wars started off 

as a Western transferred 

into outer space. 

It’s quite fitting to 

bring up Star Wars since 

C & A co-stars Harrison 

Ford, who no doubt 

must have said to himself 

,“This looks and sounds 

familiar”. In addition 

to Star Wars, Ford also 

Daniel Craig as the mysterious 

stranger who holds the key 

to an alien invasion in Cowboys 

& Aliens. 

∑∑∑∑∑ - fantastic 

∑∑∑∑ - pretty darn good 

∑∑∑ - Has some good points 

∑∑ - the previews lied 

∑ - only if you must 

M- forget entirely 

for the latest ReviewS, tHeateR info 

and Movie SHow tiMeS, visit 


Questions/Comments? 

You can email Chip or Michelle at 

reeltakes@hotmail.com 

seems to be channeling his role in the 1979 

Gene Wilder Western The Frisco Kid. 

The star of the film, though, is Daniel 

Craig and he is more than up to the task of 

taking this film on his back and carrying it 

a long way. He is reminiscent not only of 

early Clint Eastwood but also of a combination 

of Gary Cooper and Jimmy Stewart. 

His character, Jake Lonergan, is strong and 

silent most of the time but he is capable of 

showing emotion when the situation calls 

for it. 

In addition to Ford, the film co-stars 

Olivia Wilde as a woman with a secret that 

turns out to be more than you expect. She 

fulfills her role quite nicely, although the 

way it’s written, any young actress could 

have done it. The supporting cast is a strong 

one but Paul Dano as Ford’s sniveling son (a 

role he could do in his sleep) and Keith Carradine 

as the town sheriff (good to see him 

back) are woefully underused. 

The biggest letdown for me was, that 

after finally getting to the cowboys versus 

aliens showdown, the aliens turn out to be 

vile and nasty with more than a passing resemblance 

to the original Alien. At this point 

the film becomes increasingly violent and 

unpleasant with people and 

creatures dying right and 

left until the film’s climax is 

reached. 

Although director Jon 

Favreau made the first two 

Iron Man movies, the shadow 

of executive producer 

Steven Spielberg looms 

large over the proceedings 

and that is not a good thing 

(think War of the Worlds 

and the recent Super 8). 

Cowboys & Aliens is solid 

summer entertainment but 

it could have been so much 

better. 

Rated PG-13 for sequences 

of western and sci-fi violence, 

partial nudity, and crude references. 


‘Movies’ continued on page 13


film reviews 

‘Movies’ continued from page 12 

Fright Night ∑∑∑ 

Short Take: Stylish but ultimately 

unsatisfying remake of the 1985 cult 

classic has Colin Farrell but very little 

else going for it. 

ReeL taKe: The original Fright Night 

dates from 1985 and has a small town, home 

spun feel to it, like Gremlins or The Lady 

in White. This gave the film a certain charm 

and sense of intrigue, which is totally missing 

in this remake. 

Colin Farrell as a decidely blue collar 

vampire in the remake of the 1985 cult 

classic Fright Night. 

The offbeat casting added to the mystique 

of the original, with Chris Sarandon as 

an unlikely but very effective vampire (he’s 

given a cameo in this version). Roddy Mac- 

Dowell was completely credible as a failed 

actor turned TV horror host Peter Vincent 

(named after Peter Cushing and Vincent 

Price), who doesn’t believe in vampires until 

he meets the real thing. 

This Fright Night seems like a cross between 

Poltergeist (1983) and the recent Shia 

LeBoeuf vehicle Disturbia (which is a remake 

of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window). 

The setting is a cookie cutter neighborhood 

where Anton Yelchin believes his next door 

neighbor (Colin Farrell) might be a vampire. 

In this version it’s his close friend who 

tries to convince him (it was the opposite in 

the original). 

The biggest change of all is in the character 

of Peter Vincent. For the 21st century, 

being a TV show horror host is outdated, 

so the writers transformed him into a foul 

mouthed Las Vegas stage magician who puts 

on supernatural shows a la Black Sabbath 

or Kiss, and revels in the fakery of it all. Of 

course he does happen to have a fearsome 

collection of supernatural lore, which comes 

in handy especially when his secret is revealed. 

David Tennant does a good job with 

this new incarnation but I prefer the Roddy 

MacDowell version. 

It was director Craig Gillespie’s original 

intention to cast Heath Ledger as Jerry the 

neighbor, but after Ledger died the role was 

given to Colin Farrell. The character is rewritten 

as a blue collar vampire who drinks 

beer and watches a flat screen TV. However 

Rise of the Planet of the 

Apes ∑∑∑∑ 

While trying to find a cure for 

Alzheimer’s disease, scientist Will Rodman 

(James Franco) creates an intelligence-boosting 

drug that changes the 

world forever. The trouble begins when 

Rodman takes home a baby chimpanzee 

exposed to the drug, names him Caesar, 

and raises him as a son. Although the 

two share three happy years together, 

Caesar is eventually taken by animal 

control to a cruel confinement center 

where he begins to resent humans. Using 

his increased intelligence to organize 

his fellow apes, Caesar commences a 

fight to free them from humans. 

When I walked 

into the theater, I did 

not have much hope 

for Rise of Planet of 

the Apes. Based on 

the previews, I was 

expected a high-octane 

action romp with an 

when he needs to get nasty, he does complete 

with overemphatic CGI effects that 

left me yawning. It helps that Farrell is very 

good and knows to order a ham sandwich 

with his bloodletting, but the others aren’t 

up to his level. 

Anton Yelchin channels Jesse Eisenberg 

as the kid who is forced to become a vampire 

slayer, which works most of the time, 

but Toni Collette is totally wasted as the 

mother and Imogen Poots is too much like 

Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson in the 

Spiderman movies for my taste. Christopher 

Mintz-Plasse as the geeky friend starts off 

great but he turns into a ho-hum splatterfest 

vampire who I quickly grew tired of. 

Fright Night isn’t a bad movie, it’s 

just a totally unnecessary one. In the end it 

turned out to be completely disposable in 

that I had already forgotten it by the time I 

got home. At least, with a budget of only 17 

million, it was not a colossal waste of money 

but early indications are that it will tank and 

they might have trouble even getting that 

back. 

Rated R for bloody violence, language, and some 

sexual references. 


One Day ∑∑∑ 

Short Take: Movie for hopeless 

romantics with a tragic streak. 

teen 

Review 

by Clara Sofia 

ReeL taKe: I heard the bestselling book 

that One Day is based on was a really good 

story. Director Lone Scherfig’s last film, 

An Education, was a fine little film, so this 

Caesar, the super intelligent chimp, 

prepares to do battle with humans in 

Rise of the Planet of the Apes. 

abundance of screeching monkeys facing 

off with armed humans. Thankfully, I was 

pleasantly surprised. The creators of Rise 

of the Planet of the Apes actually create a 

convincing explanation for 

Caesar and properly develop 

the characters so that the 

viewer can empathize with 

them. James Franco gives 

a respectable performance 

as Will Rodman, and the 

excellence of the special 

was one entry in the romantic genre that 

actually held some promise. Still though, I 

couldn’t quite shake a sneaking suspicion of 

a tragic flaw. [Spoiler alert] Sure enough, this 

love fest for hopeless romantics is marred 

by nothing short of a Nicholas Sparks-like 

amorous devastation. Ergo, our love story 

twenty years in the making careens towards 

a pointlessly sad end … when it finally 

decides to end. The question is – why does 

said tragic plot line work in the book but not 

in the film? 

Per the usual, fans of the book say the 

movie doesn’t do the story justice. Interestingly 

David Nicholls wrote the book and the 

screenplay, so you’d think it would work. 

That said, the movie is not all bad. It’s actually 

quite good, just only part of the time. I 

liked the characters. I cared. It even tugged 

at my rusty old heartstrings a couple of 

times, but something missed the mark. Of 

what worked and what didn’t, I’m really not 

quite sure. The production values are solid. 

I don’t know what fans of the book take 

umbrage with, but for me I think it’s more 

to do with the tragic flaw than anything else. 

I’ll just give you a few impressions and let 

you make your own decision. 

In the late 1980’s Emma and Dexter 

spend the night of their college graduation 

together. She’s has to work for everything 

she has. He’s had everything handed to him. 

She wants to make the world a better place. 

He just wants to play. They are opposites, 

but they get each other like no one else does. 

The unfolding story of the relationship is 

told over the course of the next twenty years 

effects make it easy to forget that Caesar 

is not actually real. The first half of the 

movie is the story of Caesar’s childhood, 

and the violent ape takeover does not 

begin until the second half. However, 

while a few apes and humans die, there 

is no monkey massacre, and the violence 

is kept to a minimum so even animal 

lovers should be able to enjoy the film. 

Rise of the Planet of the Apes 

shows that it is still possible to make a 

movie with decent writing and a strong 

storyline that doesn’t overdose on the 

action but still provides a fun ride. I 

highly enjoyed the film and think it can 

appeal to a wide audience. The film 

provides an important message to kids 

– that they need to be kind to animals 

– but it is also amusing to watch. If you 

want to be entertained and learn something 

in the process, go see Rise of the 

Planet of the Apes. 

Rated PG-13 for intense and frightening 

sequences of action and violence. 

Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway 

find love One Day. 

on the same day of each year. Sometimes 

they are friends, sometimes they are not. 

Sometimes one is up while the other is 

down. Sometimes they don’t even like each 

other, but they always love each other. They 

are destined be the loves of each others lives, 

but ultimately destiny takes a hand. 

Anne Hathaway is Em and James Sturgess 

is Dex. Both turn in solid performances. 

They are supported briefly but capably 

and touchingly by Patricia Clarkson and Ken 

Stott. Rafe Spall is also very good as Em’s 

rather hapless beau and unrequited love. 

The evolution of their characters is almost 

entirely predictable but that’s not necessarily 

a bad thing and both Hathaway and Sturgess 

bring enough to their parts that you really 

do like them. 

Ultimately One Day is mediocre 

romantic fare. I recommend it for a girl’s 

night out. Ladies, don’t pick this one for 

‘Movies’ continued on page 14 



film reviews 

‘Movies’ continued from page 13 

date night. On the other hand fellas, if your 

lady love is a romantic girly girl and you’ve 

put her through a few too many testosterone 

fests of late, you could score some points 

for indulging her romantic sensibilities. 

The film also has enough intelligence to be 

appealing to a more mature audience and an 

audience that can appreciate twenty years of 

the ins and outs of love, but only if you can 

stomach the ‘tragic flaw’. 

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, partial nudity, 

some violence and substance abuse. 

review by miCheLLe keenAn 

The Help ∑∑∑∑1/2 

Short Take: The film adaptation of the 

best-selling novel by the same name 

about a young white woman in the early 

1960’s who enlists the help to tell their 

side of the story. 

ReeL taKe: Unlike One Day, which 

was supposed to be not so mainstream 

but rather mediocre, The Help is a very 

mainstream movie, but not mediocre in the 

least. Written and directed by Tate Taylor 

and based on Kathryn Stockett’s wildly 

popular, best-selling novel, The Help tells 

the story of a young woman in early 1960’s 

Mississippi who enlists the help to tell 

their side of the story in a tell-all, anonymous 

book. It’s the kind of book and the 

kind of movie that makes audiences cheer 

and cry and hate the bad guy. It’s also the 

RadiCaL ReeLS toUR 

Catch the steepest and deepest in 

high-adrenaline outdoor sport films. 

Hurtle down steep untouched powder, 

feel the cold spray of stomach-dropping 

kayak first descents, fly high with 

the world’s wildest BASE jumpers, 

and much more in extreme mountain 

sports. 

The Radical Reels Tour showcases 

nine short films that capture some 

of the most progressive talent in action 

sports. Hosted by REI to benefit the 

Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the 

Radical Reels Film Tour screens on 

Monday, September 12, at 7 p.m. 

if YoU go: Tickets are on sale only 

at REI for $15. After September 10 

tickets will be $17. For tickets and 

more information please contact REI 

at (828) 687-0918 or cfu@rei.com. 

REI, 31 Schenck Parkway, Asheville, 

NC 28806. 

One night showing only with limited 

seating at Carolina Cinemas Asheville, 

1640 Hendersonville Rd. Doors open 

at 6 p.m. Prizes will be given away at 

the screening. 

Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis form 

an unlikely friendship in The Help. 

kind of story that makes us, as Americans, 

realize how far we’ve come and yet how 

some things stay the same. 

Best of all, this movie is a fabulous 

vehicle for its cast, but most especially the 

talented and under-celebrated Viola Davis. 

Davis is Aibileen Clark, a middle aged black 

woman who has been a house maid, caring 

for white babies since she was 14 years old. 

Despite her own losses and anger at her lot 

in life, she loves the children in her charge 

and she raises them like her own. 

Emma Stone (Easy ‘A’) is Skeeter, a 

young woman just recently graduated from 

college with her eye not on her MRS but 

rather on a career as a journalist. She is from 

the privileged white society of Jackson, Mississippi, 

but does not share the same values 

as many of her caste. It is while getting 

reacquainted with her old girlfriends and 

tasked with a housekeeping column for the 

local paper that she enlists Aibileen’s help 

and hatches the idea of writing a book told 

from the perspective of the help. 

Octavia Spencer is Minny Jackson, a 

local maid who finds herself looking for 

work after sass talking the story’s villain, 

Hilly Holbrook, (Bryce Dallas Howard) and 

ultimately joins forces with Aibileen and 

Skeeter to write the book. The three form 

an unlikely bond as they bravely work in 

secret on the project, all the while protecting 

their respective lives, jobs and relationships. 

There’s a lot packed into the movie – perhaps 

a bit too much – but the sub-stories are 

all integral to the overall story. Laced with 

reminders of what was going on in our nation 

and at Old Miss in 1963, our heroine’s 

plight is made even more poignant. 

Rounding out the cast are Allison Janney, 

Cicely Tyson, Sissy Spacek and relative 

newcomer Jessica Chastain (The Tree of 

Life). There is no weak link here. All bring 

something special to their parts and the story. 

Spacek brings unexpected comic relief, 

and interestingly, Chastain plays a character 

that the white girls look down on even more 

than they do the blacks. 

The film is a perfect time capsule in 

both aesthetics and culture. 1963 is meticulously 

recreated. Most of all, the filmmak- 


ers and the storyteller know exactly 

how to manipulate the audience 

and they do it perfectly, affecting 

the perfect outcome and applause 

in the end. 

Unlike One Day, fans of The 

Help will not be disappointed. It’s a 

crowd pleaser all the way through. 

It is not an important cinematic 

work, but The Help does prove that 

mainstream fare doesn’t have to be 

mediocre and at its best is universally 

appealing. 

Rated PG-13 for thematic material. 

review by miCheLLe keenAn 

The Trip ∑∑∑∑ 

Short Take: A buddy-pic, road trip, 

foodie spoof non-movie featuring 

two Brit comedians and their dueling 

impressions of Sean Connery, Michael 

Caine and more. 

Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan swap Connery 

impersonations in The Trip. 

ReeL taKe: When British actor/comedian 

Steve Coogan is asked to do a foodie road 

trip for The Observer, he intends to take his 

girlfriend on a decadent romp through the 

English and Scottish countryside. Instead 

he ends up enlisting the help of friend and 

fellow funny man Rob Brydon. This is the 

premise of The Trip, a foodie-spoof directed 

by Michael Winterbottom as a limited- 

run series for British television, in which 

Coogan and Brydon play trumped up versions 

of themselves. The series was recently 

released as a ‘film’ here to positive critical 

notices, but given the modicum of distribution 

and press, most filmgoers missed it. 

There is a certain segment of the movie 

going audience and [we hope] our readers 

who will thoroughly enjoy this off beat title. 

By the time this section comes out, The 

Trip will have completed its theatrical run 

and will be available on DVD. My colleague 

Chip Kaufmann and I thought The Trip was 

an unusual delight and still worthy of a nod 

in this issue. 

Coogan, who is beloved in the UK 

for creating the character of hapless chat 

show host Alan Patridge and is best known 

to Americans for roles in Tropic Thunder 

and Night at the Museum plays himself as 

an actor getting a little long in the tooth, 

desperate to be taken seriously and make it 

as an A-list actor. Brydon, a Welsh comedian 

and popular television personality and 

voice talent, plays his trusty sidekick and a 

fellow perfectly contented with his career 

path and lot in life. The two are not Hope 

and Crosby, but they are one of the brilliant 

pairings of all time. 

Really, there is no plot. As they meander 

from one pretentious foodie destination 

to another, they spar — dueling impersonations 

of Sean Connery, Michael Caine, 

Anthony Hopkins, Lawrence Olivier and Al 

Pacino along the way in a near-constant rip 

of classic movies such as Goldfinger and the 

The Man Who Would be King. The food is 

born of Ferran Adria-like culinary audacity 

and is worthy of Anthony Bourdain-like 

narrative, but of course our heroes are 

better apt to know their way 

around an English breakfast 

and a banoffee pie than the 

highly stylized, contemporary 

gastronomy scene. 

They do however know their 

way through great English 

literature, and the residences 

of these great scribes are 

integrated into their travels 

as well. 

The result is a funny 

cultural contrast, mingling 

and layering. They brilliantly 

dialogue on today’s pseudo- 

reality driven television, food 

obsessed culture, while their 

one-upmanship and contests 

in mimicry harken back to 

a very different time and place — to films 

and stars that shaped our cinematic history 

and influenced our childhoods. The 

contrast of today’s disposable culture is 

almost laughable. Those iconic personalities 

offer so much more. After all, 30 years from 

now who is going to remember who Kim 

Kardashian was or offer up their best Ryan 

Reynolds impersonation? 

Bottom line, Winterbottom, Coogan 

and Brydon came up with a great way to 

have a paid foodie holiday. For me the cultural 

contrast was really just a bonus. The 

Trip is an amusing deviation for foodies, 

film buffs, anglophiles and of course fans 

of Coogan and Brydon. Brydon’s Small 

Man In a Box voice alone makes the whole 

thing worth watching, and I’d have happily 

watched them do nothing but swap Sean 

Connery impressions. You get to decide 

who does the better Michael Caine when 

you rent The Trip now available on DVD. 

Not Rated. 

review by miCheLLe keenAn

2 


noteworthy 

Dr. Polly E. Ross Named 

2011 Raise Your Hand 

Auction Chair 

011 marks the thirtieth anniversary 

of the first report of an 

unknown virus that was later to 

be named HIV. The devastation 

that this virus has inflicted upon 

the planet is overwhelming and hard 

to comprehend in terms of human life 

and suffering. 

Yet, this thirtieth year is a time for 

positive reflection and hope. Tremendous 

progress has been made on every 

level — locally, nationally and internationally. 

Humanity has been given 

the opportunity to learn much from 

this small retrovirus — and we have. 

From the tremendous acceleration in 

medication approval for HIV patients 

to the expansion of sexual literacy and 

dialogue — progress has been made. 

I remember in the early 1990’s 

when I was working in a small local 

hospital with a patient who had one of 

the first cases of Pneumocystis pneumonia 

(PCP) in the area; the deadly 

pneumonia that strikes persons with a 

very low immune system. 

The staff in this small facility 

were so unfamiliar and afraid of this 

illness that they wore extensive 

gowns and masks whenever 

they entered the patient’s room. 

She was a young woman who 

was just as frightened by the 

staff as they were of her. At age 

twenty-seven, she had only had 

three boyfriends in her lifetime. 

She only found out that she was 

HIV positive after one too many 

visits to the gynecologist’s office 

for a yeast infection. We had to spend 

a lot of time disrobing the fear of the 

hospital staff, in an effort to allow 

them to provide their much needed 

compassionate care. In her own way, 

this frightened patient was a heroine 

and leader in HIV care. 

Likewise, WNCAP is our regional 

hero and leader, which fights 

the fear and stigma of HIV/AIDS 

everyday. With relentless determination 

and hope, WNCAP continues to 

focus its staff and resources in making 

our part of the world better for people 

with HIV/AIDS. In a time when 

many may say — “what is the big deal 

— can’t you just take a pill for that?” 

Polly E. Ross, MD, 2011 Raise Your Hand 

Auction Chair 

— WNCAP has learned that the easy 

path of complacency is not an option 

in defeating HIV/AIDS. Medications 

are not enough. We must continue to 

educate, assist, ccare and facilitate on 

every level to create a hopeful path for 

tomorrow. 

I want to personally engage each 

of you to be a leader and a beacon of 

hope in the effort to make WNC a 

better place for everyone. Please Raise 

Your Hand as we mark the 30th year 

anniversary of HIV. Raise Your Hand 

to be a part of the hope that the next 

thirty years finds us with a planet free 

of HIV/AIDS. 

Building the Beloved Community 

“We are tied together in a single garment of destiny, 

caught in an inescapable network of mutuality.” 

~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Dr. King envisioned a Beloved 

Community. As long as racism 

persists, that community 

remains a distant dream. 

Racism, defined as “prejudice 

+ power,” is often unconscious 

and unintentional, but 50 years after 

the civil rights era began, significant 

racial inequities and disparities persist: 

• The median net worth of a white 

household is now 20 times that of a 

black household. That gap has doubled 

since the recession began. 

• Black women are significantly more 

likely to die from breast cancer than 

white women. 

• One out of 3 black students in 7th 

through 12th grades has been suspended 

or expelled at some point, compared 

to one out of 6 white children. 

• The nationwide graduation rate for 

black students is 40 percent, compared 

to 61 percent of white students. 

• One of every 3 black males born 

today will go to prison in his lifetime. 

• Blacks constitute 13 percent of all 

drug users, but represent 35 percent 

of arrests for drug possession, 55 percent 

of convictions, and 74 percent of 

prison sentences. 

• Forty-nine percent of the nation’s 

homeless population is African 

American. 

• The unemployment rate for black 

people nationwide is twice that for 

whites. 

These sad statistics may not 

reflect what is in individual hearts, 

but they reflect the legacy of centuries 

of racism. Dr. King said that to create 

the Beloved Community, we need a 

qualitative change in our souls and a 

quantitative change in our lives. We 

can change these tragic numbers and 

achieve a better life for people of all 

races; that’s the quantitative change. 

The qualitative change in our souls 

has to begin with awareness about the 

pervasive racism in our society, even 

though it is invisible to many of us. 

Because it’s hard to talk about race 

with someone of another race, we must 

start with structured, facilitated dialogues. 

Building Bridges of Asheville 

offers an eye-opening nine-week series 

on institutional, or structural, racism. 

if 

YoU 

go 

by robertA mAdden 

The next Building Bridges 

series starts Monday, 

September 12 and runs 

weekly, from 7 to 9 p.m. at 

First Congregational United Church 

of Christ in Asheville. To register, go 

to www.buildingbridges-asheville.org. 

Special Free 

Book Offer! 

—Pat Boone 

Crashing the Dollar: 

How to Survive a 

Global Currency 

Collapse by Craig R. 

Smith was written to help 

save American families 

from the economic death 

spiral of a falling U.S. 

dollar and rising 

inflation. 

To help prepare Americans for the dollar’s demise now, I 

have been authorized to offer a FREE copy of Crashing 

Special Free Book Offer! —Pat Boone 

Call 1-866-709-3643 today! 


Celebrating an Extraordinary 80 th Season! 

Joshua Bell 

Breathtaking virtuosity and a 

rare beauty. Experience the 

Red Violin’s musical talent. 

saturday, nov. 12 • 7:30 pm 

Moscow Festival Ballet 

Fall in love with the 

timeless classic “Giselle.” 

Friday, march 9, 2012 • 7:30 pm 

BMW of Asheville 

bmwofasheville.com 

828-681-9900 

National Acrobats of the 

People’s Republic of China 

Back by popular demand, fresh on 

the heels of their 2009 Sold Out 

Show! Entertain your whole family. 

Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011 • 4 pm 

Soweto Gospel Choir 

Dynamic music to brighten up 

your winter. “Joyful … fresh and 

vibrant” ~ USA Today 

Sunday, jan. 29, 2012 • 4 pm 

Win a BMW! 

Win a brand new BMW and 

support the performing arts! 

Tickets are $100. Only 1,200 

tickets are available. To reserve 

yours, call 828.225.5887. 

Student discounts, season subscriptions & individual tickets available by calling 

Asheville Bravo Concerts at 828.225.5887 • AshevilleBravoConcerts.org 


A 


performance 


Daniel Meyer 

s Music Director of the Asheville 

Symphony and Erie Philharmonic, 

Daniel Meyer is recognized as one 

of the top young conductors of his 

generation. In his sixth season with 

the Asheville Symphony, Meyer has helped 

to reinvigorate the orchestra, enlivening 

the community with innovative, collaborative 

programs and a dedication to create 

and sustain an enthusiastic audience for 

classical music. His Friday afternoon Symphony 

Talks held at UNCA are a popular 

community staple. 

Rapid River Magazine: Tell us a little 

about the 2011-2012 season and why it 

might be the best year yet for the Asheville 

Symphony? 

daniel Meyer: We are taking some of our 

biggest leaps in this coming season. We’re 

keeping our artistic vision broad, and experimenting 

with the concert format a bit, 

as well. We are inviting Attack Theatre, a 

modern-dance company, to return to Asheville 

to create a brand new production of 

Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale. It will be fullystaged, 

danced, acted, and costumed in a way 

that is faithful to the music’s original intent. 

We’re also tackling Gustav Mahler’s 

massive Second Symphony, complete with 

soloists, huge choir, offstage brass, and as 

many musicians as we can fit on the stage. 

We’re also partnering with the Asheville 

Art Museum to create a photo montage to 

accompany our performance of Beethoven’s 

Pastoral Symphony. Why not capitalize on 

the rich arts life we enjoy in Asheville with a 

little creative collaboration? 

RRM: The Asheville Symphony Orchestra 

Labor Day Concert is coming up again. 

What challenges do you find the hardest 

about performing outside? 

dM: Well, the fact that the fire department 

happens to be right on Pack Square can 

make for some interesting situations – I’m 

thinking specifically about last year, when 

a truck rolled out right in the middle of a 

quiet moment in the music with sirens blaring. 

I’m hoping that if that happens again, 

we’ll be able to make an elegant pause. 

I have to say, though, that the benefits 

of playing outdoors for such an appreciative 

and excited crowd far outweigh any 

minor inconveniences of noise or weather. 

We are thrilled to be repeating this wonderful 

event, and I recommend you stakeout 

your spot early. 

RRM: Tell us about “Symphony Talk With 

Daniel Meyer.” is it designed for those 

who listen to the symphony or for those 

who want to be part of the symphony, and 

Daniel Meyer, conductor of the Asheville 

Symphony. Photo: Michael Morel 

how did it come about? 


dM: There used to be a “Tea and Symphony” 

held in the basement of the Public 

Library downtown. It typically garnered 

anywhere from 30 to 50 people. I thought to 

myself, there just has to be a better way to 

connect with more people. 

I am so passionate about the music we 

make, and I love to talk about the interesting 

back-stories to how and why composers 

were inspired to write their music. This 

is where the Reuter Center on the campus 

of UNCA stepped-in. They generously 

invited us to move our preview events 

to their space, and almost instantly, our 

attendance grew to well over 250 for each 

“Symphony Talk”. 

We love the space because we have 

access to a grand piano, a large projection 

screen, microphones, and ample seating. 

I think our audience loves it because they 

can park for free right next to the building. 

“Symphony Talk” is completely free, 

sponsored by our ASO Guild, and is a great 

way to meet our guest artists and musicians. 

Local experts like Chip Kaufmann and Dick 

Kowal have also lent their expertise to these 

talks, and I always look forward to what they 

have to say about great music. 

RRM: There has been a lot of talk about the 

Asheville Symphony Orchestra’s opening 

night. What is making this night a night not 

to miss? 

dM: For one, we’re playing John Adams’s 

Lollapalooza for the first time. It’s an incredibly 

fun, short piece that mixes jazz, be-bop, 

rock, and classical into one boisterous romp. 

Another reason we’re excited is our first 

meeting with the famed pianist Simone 

Dinnerstein. She has written her own rules 

when it comes to creating a fascinating 

career in music, and I just think that her 

performance of Ravel’s G Major Concerto 

will be one of the highlights of my tenure 

with the orchestra. 

If that’s not enough, we’ll perform 

Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony – a true test of 

what the ASO can do. 

Continued on page 18


stage preview 

The Magnetic Field – Changing Theatre, Play by Play 

Can Asheville have an impact on 

the national theatre scene? Sure, 

the city has its fair share of theatre 

companies, of all colors and stripes, 

but is it enough to capture attention 

above and beyond WNC? Chall Gray 

and Steven Samuels think that it can. They 

are the principal creative forces behind The 

Magnetic Theatre, the resident producing 

company in The Magnetic Field, a chic 

new River Arts District venue which Gray 

opened last December and began planning 2 

½ years before that. 

“What we’re doing is unique. We’re the 

only theatre in the Southeast that produces 

all-original works, but the response from 

the community, both audiences and theatre 

artists, has been overwhelmingly positive,” 

tHe MagnetiC 

fieLd ReStaURant 

In addition to the groundbreaking 

work in their theatre, The Magnetic 

Field is fast making a name for itself 

as a restaurant and bar. Co-head chefs 

Liam Luttrell-Rowland, who recently 

was invited to prepare dinner for Ruth 

Reichl, and Jason Rowland, who has 

cooked at the renowned James Beard 

House, consistently produce great 

dishes. Award-winning bartenders 

match the chefs’ creations with their 

own innovative cocktails. 

MagnetiC fieLd’S 

faLL SeaSon 

Shangri-La, a new comedy by Lucia 

Del Vecchio, set in a retirement mobile-home 

park in Florida, premieres 

in September. October brings Brief 

Encounters: New Magnetic Voices 

2011, a presentation of short plays by 

new writers. 

Next comes Rock Saber, a crazed, 

late-night only show about the 

world’s worst epic metal band, by Julian 

Vorus, and December brings the 

return of the much loved Bernstein 

family in the 28th Annual Bernstein 

Family Christmas Spectacular: 

Christmas in Space, in 3-D! 

if YoU go: For more details please 

visit www.themagneticfield.com. 

Chall Gray and Steven Samuels. 

Photo: Peter Brezny 

Samuels, the artistic director, said recently. 

The Magnetic Field has set a blistering 

pace since day one, with nine full-scale productions 

already under its belt, and they are 

already making waves outside of Asheville, 

with write-ups in the New York Times and 

Charleston Magazine. 

“In just the past few months, we’ve received 

scripts from New York, Los Angeles, 

Chicago, Atlanta, Arkansas, and Connecticut, 

as well as here in WNC,” Gray, who 

is the producer, noted. “It’s surprised even 

us how fast word has spread. It’s incredibly 

hard to get new plays done, even for 

established playwrights, and that’s one of 

the reasons we’re dedicated to premiering 

original works.” 

The Magnetic Field includes an intimate 

64-seat theatre, and a bar and restaurant 

in a separate space. With the wide variety of 

dynamic shows they’ve done, the company 

has surprised audiences with works such 

as: Lucia Del Vecchio’s The Family Tree, a 

dramatic work leavened with comedy; and 

David Eshelman’s The Witches’ Quorum, 

a wild revisionist historical romp set in the 

1600’s, but with raunchiness, bawdy humor, 

and some risque content. 

The Magnetic Field has also received 

praise from many publications and journals. 

A reviewer from CVNC.org, an arts journal, 

proclaimed that “The Magnetic Field lives up 

to its branding as one of America’s most inventive 

and audacious theatrical troupes, and 

a groundbreaking leader in the development 

and production of the nation’s new plays.” 

This young company has also amassed 

an impressive base of talent—they have a 

section on their website featuring the bios 

of everyone they’ve worked with, a group 

which already amounts to more than 50. 

“It’s really amazing, the quality of talent this 

town has,” Samuels said. “The local creative 

pool is deep and wide, supplemented by 

successful, experienced transplants from 

large cities like New York and LA, like myself 

and any number of our colleagues.” 

While The Magnetic Field has six artistic 

associates whose work they present on 

an ongoing basis, and the much larger group 

of talents who have worked on all of their 

shows so far, they’re always looking to add 

new people to their group. “We very much 

want to create a place that’s open to the best 

we can find, and we’re always interested in 

meeting and working with people we don’t 

already know,” Gray said. 

Magnetic Midnight is one of their 

avenues for meeting fresh faces and giving 

them a chance to perform. The show, 

which occurs on the first Friday of each 

month, has a simple premise: show up at 10 

p.m. to perform something of your own or 

someone else’s. The only guidelines are that 

pieces must be original and no longer than 

five minutes. Other than that, pretty much 

anything goes. 

In addition to their theatre efforts, there 

is also a multitude of other programming 

that occurs at The Magnetic Field. Mondays 

play host to storytelling and poetry slam 

events—two popular series, The Asheville 

Poetry Slam and the Synergy Story Slam, 

Take Your Craft to 

Another Level 

Workshops and Core Programs 

for Adults and Youth 

www.stellaadler-asheville.com 

(828) 254-1320 

anchor the programming. Tuesdays are the 

night for comedy, with touring stand-up 

comedians booked in by the Disclaimer 

Comedy Series, and improv performances 

by the in-house troupe, Reasonably Priced 

Babies. Music is frequently presented on 

Wednesdays. 

So, can Asheville have an impact on the 

national theatre scene? With companies like 

The Magnetic Theatre continuing to present 

new, different and innovative works, the 

odds are looking better all the time. 

the Magnetic field 

glen Rock depot, 7 depot Street 

in the River arts district 

(8 8) 7- 00 

www.themagneticfield.com 

The Only Professional 

Acting Studio in WNC 

pg. 39 

h 



pg. 39 

r 


performance 

Party on the Terrace – September 5 

T 

he Asheville Lyric Opera and 

BMW of Asheville invite you 

to enjoy a private party with 

friends of the opera during the 

Asheville Symphony Orchestra’s Labor 

Day concert on Monday, September 

5, 2011. 

The Party on the Terrace will 

take place before and during the 

concert, across the street from the festivities 

at the Merrill Lynch building. 

With exclusive access to the first-floor 

patio and the rooftop terrace overlooking 

Pack Square Park, those in 

attendance will delight in an exquisite 

viewing experience. 

In addition to private seating, guests 

will have the chance to mingle with ALO’s 

soloists, international operatic soprano Jennifer 

Davison and American operatic tenor 

Scott Joiner, who will be performing selections 

in the concert alongside the Asheville 

Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Daniel 

Meyer. 

Throughout the concert, fine hors 

d’ouvres and wine will be provided by One 

North Pack by Biltmore Catering. Guests 

will get a sneak-peak at what exciting events 

‘Meyer’s’ continued from page 16 

RRM: Since we have a well-read readership, 

what books did you enjoy reading this summer? 

dM: I read Erik Larson’s In the Garden of 

Beasts, Ian McEwan’s Solar, John Ashbery’s 

new translations of Rimbaud’s Illuminations, 

Alex Ross’ Listen to This and countless 

bits of composer biographies which 

helped me prepare for the coming season. 

The best among them, I think, was Donald 

Mitchell’s work on Mahler’s Wunderhorn 

years. 

pg. 39 

s 

ALO has in store while enjoying an elegant 

holiday evening. 

Beginning at 5:30 p.m., guests may 

claim their reserved parking spot in the 

Merrill Lynch garage and ride the elevator 

directly to the party. 

if 

YoU 

go 

if 

YoU 

go 

The Asheville Symphony 

Orchestra Labor Day Concert takes 

place September 5, from 7 to 10 

p.m. at Pack Square Park, in Asheville. 

Symphony Talk with Daniel Meyer takes 

place on September 16, from 3 to 4 p.m. at 

UNC-A’s Reuter Center. 

Opening Night – September 17, 8 p.m. at 

the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. 

Call the Asheville Lyric Opera at (828) 236- 

0670 to reserve tickets. To find out more 

about ALO’s upcoming season, including 

how to purchase season tickets, please visit 

www.ashevillelyric.org. 

Women in the Moon 

Creative and Distinctive Gifts 

163 South Main Street 

Waynesville, NC 28786 

828-452-4558 

Follow us on Twitter 

and Facebook 

Tickets are $100 per person and 

space is extremely limited. Call the 

Asheville Lyric Opera at (828) 236- 

0670 to reserve tickets. 

Located in a turn of the century medical office. 

Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 to 5:00


noteworthy 

Altamont Theatre Opening Season 

The much anticipated opening season 

of the new Altamont Theatre Company 

in downtown Asheville is just 

around the corner. The Altamont’s 

first Off-Broadway musical production 

will open September 13 in the newly 

renovated location at 18 Church Street. Pete 

‘n Keely, a rousing comedy, will run select 

dates through September 25. 

The year is 1968, when Pete Bartel and 

Keely Stevens reunite for a live television 

show retracing their illustrious musical career 

on TV, in Las Vegas showrooms, and at 

the top of the hit parade. Their commercial 

break antics will soon reveal why they are 

divorced and have not spoken in five years. 

New York City performers and Broadway 

veterans, Jan Herndon and Stephen Berger, 

will bring to life many favorite songs, like 

“Fever” and “Black Coffee.” 

This professional musical theater is 

the fruition of the dream of entrepreneur 

and Altamont Executive Director Brian Lee 

and Tiffany Hampton, a long time musical 

theater performer, who is Artistic Director 

for the Altamont. Lee and Hampton moved 

to Asheville in 2007 to get away from the 

hectic lifestyle of New York City and raise 

their two small children. 

Hampton’s father, the late George 

Thomas Hampton, Jr., was born in Asheville. 

He suggested the name for the theater, 

paying homage to the city of Altamont, the 

fictitious Asheville in Thomas Wolfe’s Look 

Homeward Angel. 

Earlier this year, the Altamont received 

The Griffin, an award given by The Preservation 

Society of Asheville and Buncombe 

County in recognition of outstanding 

contributions to historic preservation. The 

theatre qualified in the Adaptive Re-use category 

due to the owners’ attention to detail 

in preserving historical aspects during the 

building renovations. 

Lee added, “The basement and first 

floor are the lobby and theater space, plus 

an art gallery featuring the work of nationally 

acclaimed artists. The two upper levels 

are six fully furnished short term rental 

condominiums.” Altamont Director of 

Development Honor Moor stated they 

anticipate supporting the local economy in 

a significant way, as about 5,000 patrons annually 

take advantage of nearby restaurants 

and businesses. 

aLtaMont peRfoRManCeS 

pete ‘n Keely 

September 13-18 & 21-25; Tuesday, 

Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 

p.m.; Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; 

Sunday at 2:30 p.m. 

Songs for a new world 

November 2-13, 2011 

by Cherry hArt 

The intimate setting of the Altamont’s 

black-box arrangement gives the audience 

of 120 an up-close and personal view of the 

action. Table seating invites theatre guests to 

enjoy a glass of wine while listening to great 

performances in a relaxed environment. 

Hampton said that auditions are held 

in New York City and Asheville with 

invitations extended to union actors. Local 

productions will be directed by nationally 

renowned directors between their projects in 

larger metropolitan cities. 

Bill Russell, Asheville City Councilmember 

and Chairman of Altamont Theatre 

Company’s Board of Directors, said, “The 

Altamont is the greatest entertainment and 

creative addition to Asheville that I’ve seen 

in the last decade. I’m certain the Altamont 

will become an entertainment centerpiece 

in Asheville, attracting folks from all around 

the region. I can’t imagine ever missing any 

of the productions.” 

Moog Music President Mike Adams 

remarked, “The Altamont Theatre continues 

Taking a break from the many preparations 

for the coming season of musical 

productions, Brian Lee (left) and Tiffany 

Hampton, owners of the Altamont Theatre, 

pause near the doors of the black-box 

performance area. Photo: Cherry Hart 

Come Declare PEACE in Asheville! 

internationaldayofpeaceasheville.wordpress.com 

a great tradition of theatre here in Asheville 

dating back to the 1940’s, when Charlton 

Heston ran the local community theatre. 

In my role with Moog Music, I feel an 

obligation to support the arts. Serving on the 

Board of the Altamont is one small opportunity 

I have to give back to this rich history.” 

Actress and Asheville resident Andie 

MacDowell is also a member of Altamont’s 

Board of Directors. She commented about 

the upcoming productions, “I’m a big fan 

of performance theater in Asheville. We have 

so many great venues here. The approach 

of the Altamont in bringing NYC caliber 

musicals here adds to the unique atmosphere 

of our city.” 

The only professional musical theatre 

company in downtown Asheville, the 

Altamont promises to meet its mission as it 

“inspires, educates, and entertains by performing 

professional musicals and plays that 

touch the hearts of audiences of all ages.” 

if 

YoU 

go 

Purchase tickets at the box office 

or online at www.TheAltamont. 

com. Adults $35; Seniors $32; 

Students $30; Call (828) 270-7747 or visit 

the website for group sales. 

INTERNATIONAL 

DAY OF PEACE 

Dedicated to 

Peace Lovers Everywhere 

Wednesday, 

September 21 

4:30 to 7:30 PM 

Pack Square 

Downtown Asheville 

FREE MuSIC 

Open to All 

Great Folks 

Speaking 

Great Words 

Youth Happenings 

Pinwheels for Peace 

Rachael (828) 505-9425 

Kasha (828) 252-1967 

blissingstoyou@gmail.com 


B 

B 


C 


biltmore ave shops 

exCiting SHopping ~ fine aRt ~ tHeatRe 

The Rapid River Magazine has been one of my favorite 

publications for advertising over the last 6 years. Not 

only do you reach local and out-of-town people, you also 

benefit from the interesting articles the magazine writes 

about you and your business. 

I would encourage you to consider participating in a 

group advertising section. When enough businesses from 

a specific street or area advertise together, it makes for a 

worthwhile destination for people to visit. We all benefit 

when this happens. 

~ Susan Marie, owner of Susan Marie Designs 

Fine Handmade Jewelry, (828) 277-1272 

4 Biltmore Avenue, downtown Asheville 

advertise with Rapid River Magazine 

Free web links • Free ad design • Easy monthly billing 

(8 8) 6 6-0071 • www.rapidrivermagazine.com 

a 

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Located between Mast General Store and Doc Chey’s. 

(828) 281-4044 :: www.vandykejewelry.com 

C 

Jewelry 

Fine Art 

Home Furnishings 

Local Crafts


fine art 

Robb Helmkamp moved to the 

Asheville area in 2004 after deciding 

to take his backyard woodworking 

addiction and make a 

career out of it. Since finishing 

the Professional Crafts: Woodworking 

program at Haywood Community College, 

Helmkamp has established his own business, 

Kamp Studio, where he has shaped 

his furniture making style, landed in a few 

books, and earned a few design awards along 

the way. Living and working in an active arts 

community has helped Kamp Studio come 

to life and has encouraged Helmkamp to 

continuously create furniture with contemporary 

appeal. 

Elegant, fluid lines and contemporary 

design are key elements to Helmkamp’s 

furniture and sculptural work. Using a 

variety of techniques including laminations, 

vacuum pressing, and carving, Helmkamp 

enhances the relationship between wood 

and metal. 

“As the child of a military family living 

and traveling all over the United States and 

overseas, I have been exposed to numerous 

and varied cultural traditions including 

the military, various religions and the wide 

world of art and craft. I am continually 

inspired by the raw feel, rough beauty and 

honesty of art. Wood – like life – can be 

sweet and supple or rough and jagged. I use 

the wood and metal to express a conversation 

between these two elements. My art 

questions the relationship between the 

warmth of art and craft and the stark coldness 

of the military machine.” 

Whether designing a freestanding sculpture 

for art’s sake, or a built-in unit for a cli- 

Robb Helmkamp 

Exploring the Relationship Between Wood and Metal 

Caught in the Cypher, side table by 

Robb Helmkamp. 

Robb Helmkamp 

“I am continually inspired by 

the raw feel, rough beauty and 

honesty of art.” 

ent, Helmkamp exudes a sincere energy for 

each project from start to finish. “Working 

on a project with Robb was such a wonderful 

experience. We were involved from the 

very beginning with a brainstorming session. 

Robb really took our home environment 

into consideration, along with the way we 

wanted to use the space and our style. He 

was able to create for us a piece of art that we 

are able to utilize and enjoy every day,” from 

a Charleston, South Carolina client. 

This response does not come as a 

surprise. If you are able to meet Helmkamp, 

you will understand the creative process that 

drives him as an artist and pushes his need 

to create beautifully designed furniture and 

sculpture. 

The need to further explore his career 

led Helmkamp to an assistant position at the 

Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado 

this summer where he has learned many 

new techniques. He will return this fall with 

a new spin on his creativity and continue to 

push the endless possibilities of his trade. 

Helmkamp’s interest in teaching and education 

has been set in motion. He hopes to 

eventually give back to the community from 

which he has learned so much. 

Are weekend warrior workshops in 

store? Or, is Helmkamp up for the challenge 

of graduate school? Keep an eye out for new 

creations from Kamp Studio and visit the 

website www.kampstudio.com for more 

information. 

Stop by Susan Marie designs, Biltmore 

avenue in asheville, to see Robb 

Helmkamp’s latest body of work. the 

gallery is open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. 

to : 0 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m to p.m. 

Marti Mocahbee 

(Photo: Scott F. SMith) 

October 20-23 

Asheville Civic Center 

Downtown Asheville, NC 

Thu.-Sat.: 10am-6pm 

Sun.: 10am-5pm 

Admission: $8 

Children Under 12 Free 

www. craftguild.org 828-298-7928 

September 30 - October 2, 2011 

Once Upon A Quilt 

“The Stories Our Quilts Tell” 

Sponsored by Asheville Quilt Guild 

Fri & Sat 9-5 * Sun 10-5 * 

* $7,000 in Prize Money 

* Raffle Quilt 

* Over 35 Vendors 

* Guild Gift Shop 

Admission $6 

WNC Agriculture Center 

Just off I-26 across from Asheville Regional Airport, Fletcher, NC 

Barbara Pate 828.254.4915 

www.ashevillequiltguild.org 

Copyright 2009-2011, reproduction requires written permission of the publisher. 




performance 

Concerts 2011-2012 Season 

Bravo 

As the promise of fall whispers in the 

leaves, so do we delightfully anticipate 

the promise of upcoming 

arts and entertainment. 

This year, our oldest arts 

nonprofit, Asheville Bravo Concerts, 

celebrates its 80th year anniversary. 

Celebrate the foresight of past 

Asheville arts patrons who recognized 

back in 1932 that the area needed to 

foster performing arts appreciation. 

Since those days, Asheville Bravo 

Concerts has been bringing world 

class acts to town. People, places, 

businesses have changed in the city, 

but the dedication to the music and 

performing arts has sustained. 

The 2011-2012 season has four 

distinct and dynamic performances 

to showcase the spirit and pedigree of 

the Asheville Bravo Concert Series. 

This season will include our most diverse 

and inspired programming ever. 

With yet another great season, 

Asheville Bravo Concerts opens with 

an encore performance of the National 

Acrobats of China on Sunday, 

October 23, 2011. In 2009 the Acrobats 

performed to a sold out crowd 

at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium and 

are back to revel WNC with another 

breathtaking performance of balancing, 

contortions, spinning, tumbling, 

and more. 

Next up, a performance for everyone’s 

bucket list: the violin superstar, Joshua Bell. 

New York Times recently named Mr. Bell 

as “one of the few reliable marquee names 

in classical music today,” who never disappoints 

audiences. Violinist Joshua Bell is a 

consummate virtuoso with a reputation that 

is unsurpassed. 

The season continues in the new year 

in a rhythmic, vibrant show of traditional 

and contemporary music, percussion and 

dance with the Soweto Gospel Choir. The 

South African choir performed at the world 

famous 46664 concert, hosted by Nelson 

Mandela. Their powerful voices, spiritual 

sounds, and vibrant costumes create a rich 

experience to warm your winter soul. 

Bravo concerts will close the season 

with the distinguished Moscow Festival Ballet 

performing the timeless classic, Giselle. 

The Moscow Festival Ballet’s superb attention 

to traditional Russian ballet production 

and detail makes for an emotional and 

satisfying audience experience. 

The diverse season line-up will satisfy 

the desires and cultural appetites of both 

season subscribers and individual concert 

goers. The mission of the nonprofit, to promote 

and develop the educational, artistic, 

and cultural life of the community, is perhaps 

best shown through attention to season 

subscription pricing. Bravo’s subscriptions 

are priced in a way to offer music and performing 

arts to people with varied budgets. 

Bravo is lucky to be headed by a forward 

thinking Executive Director, Tracey 

Johnston-Crum. In an age of budget cuts to 

the arts and fewer fundraising opportunities 

for nonprofits, Tracey consistently supports 

student ticket discounts. She believes 

that offering opportunities for students to 

connect to the arts is an essential factor in 

maintaining a cultural and cultured populace. 

Every student deserves the opportunity 

to attend live concerts and be informed and 

inspired. With so much music and entertainment 

available in electronic form, it’s 

a refreshing and positive habit to foster in 

youth to attend and appreciate live shows 

and live performers. 

if 

YoU 

go 

by rACheL striveLLi 

The National Acrobats of China perform 

Sunday, October 23. 

Season subscriptions are available 

now from $50-$210 per person, 

with student tickets at half-price. 

Subscribers receive a discount off 

individual ticket prices, plus choice seating, 

and other exclusive benefits. 

Individual tickets range from $15-$75 and 

can be purchased by calling the Asheville 

Bravo Concerts office at (828) 225-5887, 

on the web at www.ticketmaster.com, or in 

person at the Civic Center Box Office.


fine art 


Patti Best 

P 

atti Best of Canton, N.C. 

captures the beauty and 

soul of the area through 

her enchanting oils. Most 

of her paintings are of 

landscapes in Western North 

Carolina. Painting is a passion 

she loves sharing with others. I 

had the opportunity to talk with 

Best about her work. 

Rapid River Magazine: What led you to 

decide to be a painter? 

patti Best: I can’t remember any specific 

event or epiphany that led to the thought, “I 

think I want to be a painter?” Art has always 

been a part of who I am. I cannot remember 

a time when drawing and painting were not 

my favorite pastimes! 

RRM: How important is the process of 

painting from observation to your work? 

pB: My husband Hugh and I spend a good 

deal of time hiking. I take photos of the 

places I would like to paint, and then I paint 

at home in my “studio”. I enjoy reliving the 

hike as I paint from photos, but my memory 

plays an important role so observation is 

very important for me. 

RRM: Can you tell us how you go about 

making a painting? Do you make studies first 

or work out a careful drawing before you 


Sandee Shaffer 

Johnson 

S 

andee Shaffer Johnson has traveled 

as a photographer/journalist across 80 

countries. Her media and techniques 

include acrylics, collage, watercolor, 

printmaking, encaustic and pen & ink. 

Sandee’s unique art gallery, museum, and 

workspace – The Bizarre Bazaar: 

TriArts Global Studio 

– is upstairs in Space 320, 

Riverview Station North, 

191 Lyman Street. Her website 

is www.sandee-art.eu 

Rapid River Magazine: You 

have shown your art all 

around the world and have 

been in over 200 group, 

corporate or solo exhibitions 

in 35 years. How have you 

managed to stay so prolific? 

Landscape artist 

Patti Best 

Lemons by Sandee Shaffer 

Johnson 


paint or do you just jump right in 

and work it all out as you go? 

pB: This question makes me 

smile! I have very little patience 

for studies and drawings so I 

start with a basic sketch. This 

has landed me in trouble with perspective 

on more than one occasion. 

To begin, I cover the canvas 

in background color. Next I begin 

building layers from farthest 

distance to nearest detail. I try to 

keep the painting soft; somewhere between 

impressionistic and realistic. I call my painting 

style, “soft realism”. 

RRM: What sustains or inspires you during 

moments when things get tough in the 

studio or art world? 

pB: I have a strong faith in God, and I 

believe my talent is a gift from Him. When 

I’m feeling frustrated with a painting, or 

disturbed by the evening news, I ask for and 

accept the peace He is so willing to give! 

RRM: What colors do you put out on your 

palette? 

pB: My palette of colors almost always 

include, Paynes Gray (my favorite), Olive 

Green, Sap Green, Yellow Ochre, Raw Umber, 

and Burnt Sienna. 

RRM: At what age were you when you knew 

you wanted to become a full-time artist? 


Sandee Shaffer Johnson: When I get excited 

about an idea I sometimes work 18 hours 

straight. For example, last year I shattered 

an ankle. I was transformed into a restless 

couch pear for three months and churned 

out 145 works on paper. One after another. 

RRM: What brought you to Asheville? 

After living in eight countries on five 

continents, I finally decided to retrace my 

Southern roots and “nest.” My husband and 

I sadly left Europe – our 

home for 20 years – and 

returned to Virginia to settle 

near family. The adjustment 

was too difficult. We needed 

to find “home.” 

We kept hearing 

Asheville was incredible. 

After several trips, we fell 

in love. We left our historic 

“money-pit” house and 

downsized to a condo in 

north Asheville. Naturally, 

Continued on page 24 

pB: I’m a late bloomer! 

Even though I entertained 

the idea of interior design 

as a young adult, I married 

and became a mom before 

age 21. Hugh and I have 

three adult children ages 

21, 24, and 29. I homeschooled 

for seventeen 

years, so I didn’t begin 

painting seriously until the 

youngest no longer needed 

my full-time involvement 

with his schoolwork. 

RRM: What is your primary goal in painting 

a particular location? 

pB: I wish everyone could experience the indescribable 

beauty of this area. Some of our 

hikes are fairly inaccessible, so I like to think 

I’m bringing the beauty back “out” with me. 

In the mountains, the same vista can re-captivate 

us over and over again as the weather 

changes, the seasons turn, as the sun rises or 

sets. My primary goal in painting a particular 

location is the realization that I’m capturing 

a “moment in time”. Never will this view be 

exactly the same again… 

My part in the human experience is 

Kayla’s Sky by Patti Best 

to re-create on canvas the beauty we see 

all around us. If my artwork in small part 

brings serenity to the soul of the viewer, I am 

blessed! I believe a life is well lived if it adds 

richness to the lives of others along the way. 

works by patti Best on display at 

Blackbird frame & art, 6 Merrimon 

ave. in asheville. (8 8) - 117, www. 

blackbirdframe.com. 

to contact Best or to see her work, visit 

www.mountainbrushworks.com or call her 

at (8 8) 7 -9 0 . 


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fine art 

A Celebration of Southern 

Appalachian Culture 

The 31st Annual 

Heritage Weekend 

will be held 

September 17-18 

at the Blue Ridge 

Parkway’s Folk Art Center. 

This free festival sponsored 

by the Southern Highland 

Craft Guild features 

traditional music, dancing 

and heritage craft demonstrations. 

A highlight of the 

weekend is the 31st Annual World Gee Haw 

Whimmy Diddle Competition on Saturday, 

from 2 to 3 p.m. Joe “Colonel Buncombe” 

Bly will emcee the competition. 

A whimmy diddle is an Appalachian 

mountain toy made from two sticks of 

wood. Notches are carved into one stick and 

a propeller is attached to the end. The other 

stick is rubbed against the notches, causing 

the propeller to spin either gee (to the right), 

or haw (to the left). 

During Heritage Weekend, learn from 

area experts about beekeeping, rifle making, 

coopering, heritage toy making, natural 

dyeing, spinning, quilting, whittling, print 

‘S. Johnson’ continued from page 23 

I compensated by renting a sprawling studio 

space. 

RRM: What inspires you most? 

SSJ: I find subjects everywhere. In Europe, 

monochromatic pieces with political or 

intellectual motifs were widely accepted. 

American tastes seemingly gravitate towards 

artwork perhaps more decorative than 

provocative. So, I’m being channeled into 

different directions. Nature, music, other 

artists, events, people, locations, history, 

performances, books… the sources of inspiration 

list are endless. 

RRM: You are by far the most versatile artist 

i have met. Your work includes oil, watercolor, 

pen & ink, photography and at least a 

dozen other mediums. The amazing part for 

me is that you have seemingly mastered all 

of them. How did this come about and why 

work in so many mediums? 

SSJ: I’m always challenging myself partly 

because I’m easily bored. It excites me to 

plunge into new styles and techniques and 

mix them wildly together. My art changes as 

I do. It’s a journey from dark to light, teasing 

the extremes, confronting the ambiguities. 

I’m a moody, intense person and my 

artwork faithfully shadows my struggles and 

triumphs. 

Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle. 

Photo: Stewart Stokes 

by ApriL nAnCe 

making and furniture 

making. Other highlights 

include sheep shearing 

demonstrations throughout 

the day on Saturday, 

and border collie demonstrations 

on Sunday. We 

welcome first time Heritage 

Weekend participants 

and new members of the 

Southern Highland Craft Guild, Matt Tommey 

(basket making), and Brandy Clements 

(chair caning) to the event. 

The entertainment schedule is jampacked 

with regional musicians on both 

days, including the polished sounds of 

Buncombe Turnpike as well as Blue Eyed 

Girl. The Apple Chill Cloggers and Cole 

Mountain Cloggers will thrill the audience 

with traditional mountain dancing. Highlights 

also include Southwestern Virginia 

Fingerpicking with Ellie and Roals Kirby, 

and Paul’s Creek Band performing with special 

guest, Arvil Freeman. 

RRM: You’ve been all 

over the world. Do you 

find location plays some 

part in your art? Do 

you look at your body 

of work and say, “This 

painting could only have 

been painted in Rome,” 

or does inspiration come 

from within? 

SSJ: I believe the inspiration 

comes from 

environment, emotion, 

perception, and interpretation. 

For instance, I had 

a residency in Hungary 

in a villa where former 

political prisoners were 

tortured. I also lived in Lebanon during a 

civil war and was in Colombia during another 

surge in criminal drug violence. 

These experiences forced my global 

awareness. I was compelled to put together 

an exhibition called “Politicide,” which 

included painting on X-rays and using my 

own blood on suitcases and sheets to depict 

“whitewashed” political decisions. A wall of 

paintings portrayed innocent victims or collateral 

damage. The exhibit collected donations 

for Human Rights Watch in Berlin. 

RRM: What was one of your most unique art 

exhibitions? 

if 

YoU 

go 

Chaos Theory by 

Sandee Shaffer Johnson 

enteRtainMent SCHedULe 

Saturday, September 17 

10:00 – Sara Lynch-Thomason 

10:30 – Ellie and Roals Kirby 

11:00 – Apple Chill Cloggers with 

Blue Eyed Girl 

11:30 – The Moore Brothers Band 

1:00 – Blue Eyed Girl 

1:30 – Apple Chill Cloggers 

with Blue Eyed Girl 

2:00 – Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle 

Competition 

3:00 – Split Rail 

Sunday, September 18 

12:00 – Level Ground 

12:30 – Paul’s Creek Band 

1:30 – Cole Mountain Cloggers 

with Paul’s Creek Band 

2:00 – Bear Down Easy 

3:00 – Buncombe Turnpike 

31st Annual Heritage Weekend, 

September 17-18. Saturday, 10 

a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, 12 to 5 

p.m. Folk Art Center, Milepost 382, Blue 

Ridge Parkway, Asheville, NC. 

For more information call (828) 298-7928 

or visit www.craftguild.org. 

SSJ: The most interesting 

exhibit featured 

Mary Magdalene as the 

theme. The show began 

in Paris and traveled all 

over the country. My 

piece was chosen to 

symbolize hope for a 

Palestinian-Israeli peace 

initiative. It was lashed 

to the bow of a sailboat 

and a famous French female 

sailor maneuvered 

it from France to Israel. 

RRM: Do you have immediate 

future plans? 

SSJ: I recently mailed 

artwork to Bulgaria, France, Korea, the 

Philippines and Hungary, plus I’m illustrating 

several children’s books. The business of 

art is my downfall. I just want to create. As 

usual, too many things to do, too little time. 

My mother did the same thing. Her motto 

was, “To create is to live fully.” I’ve inherited 

the same relentless drive. 

the Bizarre Bazaar - triarts global Studio 

Riverview Station north, Studio 0 

191 Lyman Street, asheville, nC 

(8 8) 989- 9 

artwoman6@gmail.com


fine art 

Food, Art & Community 

tHe CReative ConneCtivitY of Matt paRRiS 

I 

f you live in 

Asheville and are 

a foodie, you’ve 

likely heard of 

Matt Parris of 

Roots Catering and 

Wholesale... he creates 

a good line of food 

products. 

Think: “The microbrew 

of hummus.” 

And he’s passionate 

about business, art 

and the community. 

One of the cool things 

about his production 

is it’s in the River Arts 

District, in a building 

that has artists, 

too. Matt’s cross-over 

thinking exemplifies 

how our creative 

worlds can mesh. 

I met Matt in 

April of 2009 when I 

called him for a Mediterranean feast for an 

art event at Constance Williams Gallery, and 

this first exposure to his healthy, organic, 

delicious food set the bar for me. Soon 

after, I noticed a Roots spread at a Mountain 

BizWorks engagement. And then at another 

event. And another. 

I was a Roots addict by the time I 

became a regular at his Roots Cafe concept 

in the then newly-renamed Roots Building 

on the north end of the River Arts District. 

Surrounded by other daily regulars, I had 

business meetings, lunch dates and quiet 

journaling times there. There was always 

local art on the walls. And the building’s association 

with the arts continued with artists 

like painter Barbara Frohmader upstairs. 

This marriage of art and 

business is part of what 

has allowed the District to 

expand organically. 

Matt’s wholesale food business now has 

products distributed all over the East. What 

impresses me is that while he expands, he 

also sees the benefits of staying attached to 

local culture. The cafe is now gone to make 

room for more wholesale efforts, but by 

keeping the building and its tenants, he is 

nurturing both artistic livelihoods and our 

palates. This marriage of art and business 

is part of what has allowed the District to expand 

organically over time, attracting more 

and more artists, business people and chefs, 

each with their own unique offerings. 

On a recent catch-up session, once 

Matt Parris outside his Roots 

Studios building. 

by greg vineyArd 

again I noted Matt’s 

passion about his 

activities, as well as his 

thoughts on how it’s 

all connected. His art 

appreciation – he has 

a few favorite pieces at 

home that inspire him 

– and love of music, 

along with his business 

sense, foster that 

mindset that makes 

him care about other 

creatives and their 

futures: 

“You can do 

something that’s 

inspired, beautiful, 

tasteful... it’s the 

process of replicating 

it that requires 

discipline and followthrough, 

that yields results.” 

He understands the process we each go 

through as we bring a creative passion to life, 

in any cultural medium. And he knows that 

quality products lead to channels of distribution, 

and thus to discerning consumers. 

Matt has a vested interest in his neighborhood, 

cares about buying and employing 

local and builds potential in others. His 

philosophies tie in with how arts, culture 

and quality food intertwine in our region. 

Now, if we could also harness the 

energy of his proud smile when I asked him 

how his son is doing, we could power up all 

of Asheville for about a year. He gets it that 

we pursue the things we do in order to take 

care of other things that are also very important 

to us. It’s a good lesson to keep in mind, 

no matter what we’re creating. 

By the way, I recommend eating Roots 

hummus with a spoon. Crackers just get in 

the way! 

for more information on Matt parris visit 

www.rootsfood.com 

greg vineyard is an 

artist and creative 

consultant in asheville’s 

River arts district. 

He and his Ceramics 

for Contemplation & 

Connectivity can be found 

at Constance williams gallery, (the middle 

building in CURve), 9 Riverside drive in 

asheville. open every day 11 a.m. to 

p.m. visit www.CURvestudiosnC.com. 

(828) 236-9800 

Open 7 Days a Week 

50 Broadway ~ Asheville, NC 

Specialty Pizzas • Spring Water Dough • Salads 

Vegan Soy Cheese, and other Vegetarian Options! 

A treAsure trove of 70 

films from 25 countries, 

full of adventure, surprises, belly 

laughs and stories that are sure to 

make kids think and see the world 

in a brand new way. 

investing in the souls of our city 

Creatures Café 

Alcohol-Free Music Venue and Café 

Featuring: 

• Live Entertainment 

• Amazing Desserts 

• An Inspiring Art Gallery 

Hours: 

Tues-Thurs, 5:30pm-12am 

Fri & Sat, 5:30pm-3am 

pg. 39 

f 

Bring in this Ad 

and We’ll Take 

15% Off 

Your Order 

Excluding Alcohol 

1 Coupon Per Table 

Delicious 

Hoagies & Pretzels 

Fresh-Baked Calzones 

Wireless 

Internet Access! 

November 4-13, 2011 

TickeTs: $5 

www.aicff.org 

Above: tally Ho! Mobile. Left: Q and A. Below (L-r): into the 

Woods and Under the Sea, Legends come Alive 

Locations: Ashevillle Pizza & Brewing, Posana cafe, and Tryon Theater 

For details visit www.aicff.org or call (828) 298-4789 

• Awesome Desserts 

• Delicious Snacks 

• 23 Bottled Sodas 

• Mocktails 

• Full Espresso Bar 

81 Patton Ave., Asheville 

pg. 39 

g 

828-254-3636 

www.creaturescafe.com 

Creatures Cafe is a non-profit organization 501 (c)(3) ein 26-0245324 – Photos courtesy of Monzingo Photography 



joe’s brew notes 

October, Fall, Festivals – Oktoberfest! Brew news 

September, 

September — cooler weather, colorful 

leaves, harvest festivals and, for beer 

enthusiasts, Oktoberfest! It’s like the 

German version of Saint Patrick’s 

Day except it lasts 16 days instead of 

one and celebrates a wedding instead of a 

Saint. Both festivals have long histories that 

include ritual dress, parties, games, food, 

camaraderie, and lots of great beer. And 

both cultures encourage everyone to join in 

the fun. 

The first Oktoberfest 

was held in Munich 

Germany in 1810 as a 

wedding celebration for 

Bavarian Prince Ludwig 

and his blushing bride 

Princess Theresa. It became 

more a community event and beer oriented 

with the introduction of beer and food 

stands in 1818. The event grew through 

the years and is similar to a state fair in the 

U.S. with rides, games, and agricultural 

displays. Given our region’s beer culture and 

European heritage, it is no surprise we have 

not one but two festivals this year – the third 

annual Asheville Oktoberfest and the first 

annual Oktoberfest in Kingsport, TN. 

The very first Asheville Oktoberfest 

was held then discontinued in the early 

1990’s well before our current beer scene. 

It was re-introduced 3 years ago by the 

Asheville Downtown Association (ADA). 

The ADA is a non-profit organization to 

support the vitality of downtown through 

community events like Downtown After 5, 

the Holiday Parade, etc. The combination 

of Asheville’s beer scene and Wall Street’s 

old-world look and feel made for an easy 

decision to include Oktoberfest in their list 

of events. 

History of 

Oktoberfest 

Oktoberfest started in Munich in 

1810 to celebrate the October 

12th marriage of Bavarian Crown 

Prince Ludwig to the Saxon-Hildburghausen 

Princess Therese. Nobles and 

citizens (unusual for the time) celebrated 

in a field in front of the city gates with a 

horse race as the main event and plenty of 

games (wheel barrel and sack races, barrel 

rolling races, and goose chases, etc.) to 

entertain the nearly 40,000 Bavarians in 

attendance. 

Each succeeding year the festival became 

larger and more elaborate. In 1811 

an agricultural show was added, followed 

in 1818 by a carousel and two swings. 

by Joe ZiniCh 

This year’s Oktoberfest 

will be held 

Saturday, October 8 

from noon to 6 p.m. 

The special music, 

food, games, and costumes 

encourage the 

spirit and camaraderie 

of the event. Tickets 

for beer sampling 

are on sale now ($25 

– ashevilledowntown. 

org). All beer served will be from local 

breweries and many will feature seasonal 

ales for the occasion. The brewers will be 

on hand for questions. Non-beer-drinking 

revelers can enjoy all the fun for free! 

Attend and experience “Little Munich,” 

Asheville style, with music by the Stratton 

Mountain Boys, Oktoberfest games, a 

festival-wide costume contest, and traditional 

German food supplied by the Wall Street 

restaurants and Beulah’s Bavarian Pretzels. 

Watch brewery teams compete in events 

like the “dizzy gnome,” “keg-rolling,” “stein 

race,” etc. for the prized “Das Boot” trophy. 

Want to compete on one of the teams? Visit 

the individual websites for more information. 

The Kingsport Oktoberfest will be held 

September 24 as a family-friendly event 

in downtown Kingsport, TN – about a 

one-and-a-half-hour drive from Asheville. 

Mechanical rides continued to be added 

and in 1908 Germany’s first roller coaster 

was introduced. Eventually the event was 

increased to 16 days and moved back to start 

in September and end the first Sunday of 

October to take advantage of better weather. 

From the start beer was an important 

part of the festival, which began as a wedding 

celebration and became a more beerfocused 

festival in 1818 when the first beer 

and food stands were introduced. The beer 

stands were replaced by 1896 with halls and 

tents sponsored by Munich breweries. 

In 1913 the largest tent was the Bräurosl 

with room for 12,000 guests; today the 

largest is the Hofbräu-Festzelt, which holds 

about 10,000. Currently all the beer halls 

and tents combined can seat nearly 100,000 

people but reservations are still encouraged. 

The festival has grown from 40,000 to 

almost 7 million visitors a year. 

Only beers from the Munich brewer- 


Green Man’s coach John Stuart with “Das 

Boot,” the team trophy from last year’s 

Asheville Oktoberfest, says, “It’s all or nothing 

this year” (No doubt.) 

Organizers have 

planned a fair-like 

festival that adds 

to the Oktoberfest 

tradition with a 

Craft Bier Garden, 

which features “Beer 

University”. Also 

included are an 

alcohol-free familyfun 

zone, traditional 

Oktoberfest food, 

music (two stages), 

and contests that 

include a corn-holetoss 

tournament 

with a first-place 

prize of $1,000. 

The festival is 

free to all and beer 

can be purchased 

anywhere on the grounds except in the 

family-friendly “Das Kidzone”; however, 

the Craft Bier Garden is a ticketed area 

where festival-goers will enjoy beers from 

25 southern craft breweries and one-of-akind 

beers made especially for and at (using 

an infuser) the event. “Beer University” is 

within the Bier Garden area where patrons 

can quiz brewers, hop farmers, and malt 

producers and listen to presentations about 

each discipline. The Craft Bier Garden will 

open from 1:00PM to 5:30 p.m. For more 

information and to purchase tickets ($29, 

which includes a commemorative glass), 

visit kingsportoktoberfest.com. The fun 

starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 9:30 p.m. with 

the closing ceremony. 

My experience with Asheville and expectations 

for Kingsport put both Oktoberfests 

on my must-attend list. Ein Prosit! 

ies are served during the festival and 

beer consumption at the fest accounts 

for almost 30% of the entire annual beer 

production of all the breweries combined. 

The most common Oktoberfest beer 

served is a dark gold to deep orange-red 

lager with an initial malt sweetness, a rich 

toasty-malt flavor, and just enough hops 

to prevent a cloying finish (~ 5%). 

In the U.S. the largest Oktoberfest 

celebration is in Zinzinnati, (Cincinnati) 

OH with over 500,000 people attending 

this 3-day event annually. It boasts the 

world’s largest chicken dance, which last 

year included 45,000 participants. More 

than 800 barrels of beer are consumed 

(about the yearly capacity of many craft 

breweries). 

Ludwig and Therese held a bash to 

celebrate their nuptials and, unwittingly, 

unleashed a party for the whole world. 

Thank you. 

Think you can create a 

beer ad that’s “Too Hopped 

for TV”? asheville Brewing Company 

and Brewgasm believe you can and 

will put it on-line for the entire world 

to see. The beer ad contest has cash 

prizes: $500 for first; $300 for second; 

$150 for third, and five honorable 

mentions for a box of beer schwag of 

their choice. 

The 15- to 45-second ads should 

display a sense of humor and not 

break any laws. Submit your creations 

to toohopped@ashevillebrewing. 

com by Friday, September 30, 2011 

at midnight. Questions? Contact 

toohopped@ashevillebrewing.com. 

pisgah Brewing are brewing a 

straw-colored, light-bodied Kolsch 

with a delicate malt aroma specifically 

for their 2nd annual “Del Yeah” festival 

on September 3 with the legendary 

Del McCoury Band as the headliner. 

Also for September release is a 

pilsner made to style (dry and crisp 

with a clean finish) and an ESB that 

is essentially an English version of 

their pale ale. The ESB is made with 

toasted malt and authentic English ale 

yeast and has a deep copper color and 

an oaky flavor. 

To improve their craft, Jason 

Caughman (owner), Kyle Williams 

(Head Brewer), and Ryan Frank 

(Brewer) attended a 2-day workshop 

at Briess Malting in August. Breiss 

opened in 1876 and produces the largest 

variety of malts in the world. 

From August 29 to September 5 the 

thirsty Monk in downtown Asheville 

will hold their 2nd Annual Thirsty- 

Fest with rare and obscure keg tappings. 

For example, Founders KBS, 

Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine 

2010, De Molen Cease & Desist, 

Hanssens Oude Gueuze, Pisgah Red 

Devil, and many more. See updates 

and schedule at www.monkpub.com. 

Although any time is a good time to 

visit the LaB, now is a great time with 

seven beers on tap, their most ever. 

They are featuring an Oktoberfest 

(delicious); a Belgian-style Golden 

Strong Ale (meant to be sipped and 

savored, 10% APV); Belgian-Saison 

farm style ale; a brown porter; an 

American stout; Belgian white ale; 

and their American pale ale. 

for eight years, Joe zinich 

has been taking a selfguided, 

high-intensity tour 

of the asheville beer scene. 

Contact him at: jzinich@ 

bellsouth.net.


restaurants & wine 

Tasting Grandly, White Wines to Summer’s End 

- pLUS, CHanneLing SpiRitS, CaRoLina StYLe 

T 

he WNC Wine and Food Festival 

presented its Grand Tasting on 

August 13 at the WNC Agricultural 

Center. It was the same day as a 

rodeo there, but no matter, the festival 

was upwind, and any barnyardy scents 

detected by the wine-sniffers were for real. 

Something else is for real: competent 

North Carolina Distillers. Three were there. 

I was there to eat for the first hour or so, and 

then taste only white wines. I didn’t want 

to spoil my plans for later that day as I had 

worked hard on my cannibal costume for 

the luau. Still the spirits beckoned: 

Cardinal Gin ($30)– WOW! This is the 

first gin legally produced in North Carolina 

since before Prohibition. Kings Mountain 

brothers Charlie and Alex Mauney offer 

a smooth gin that tastes like a flower got 

squeezed in it. Even with tonic, the flavor 

is there. This is a gin for those who prefer 

theirs be botanical. I also have to praise their 

choice of bottle and especially the intelligently 

designed, ambigramic, tattoo-worthy 

Cardinal logo. 

Carriage House Apple Brandy ($24) 

- IMPRESSED! Brandy makes my throat 

close, so I usually avoid it. Plus, my preju- 

dice told me this would be kind of hokey 

or cheap. I was wrong. This drink was a 

pleasant surprise, distilled from WNC apples 

and oak-aged. Distillers Chris Hollifield and 

Keith Nordan run a clean, green operation 

that supports North Carolina apple farmers. 

The product is smooth, with the oak adding 

some substance and structure. They also 

chose well their packaging: the only bottle of 

its kind in North America, and a dark green, 

not-quite-Maker’s, wax seal. 

Troy & Sons Distillers, Moonshine 

($30) - YES! Moonshine has always scared 

me, while at the same time, my friends 

always lived to tell about it. I was relieved to 

discover quality-controlled, legally produced 

corn liquor. The taste and style is of this 

Asheville-made product is unmistakable. 

They poured me a huge sample at the Grand 

Tasting, on ice with some fruit. Sadly, I was 

way out there 16 miles from home, and I 

realized it was decision time: dump it, or 

get arrested. What I can say is this bottle is 

part of my home bar - worth every dollar 

for every worthy sip. Again, I admire the 

packaging: a heavy, manly bottle – a nifty 

contrast to the woman who distills the goodness 

inside. 

Asheville Chamber Music Series 

The Asheville Chamber Music Series 

(ACMS), founded in 1952, the 

oldest established concert series in 

Asheville, is pleased to announce 

their 59th season. Presentations will 

feature acclaimed chamber music players 

from throughout the world in a wide range 

of diverse and innovative programming. The 

ACMS season, running from October 2011 

through April 2012, includes 5 concerts at 

the Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville, 

located at 1 Edwin Place at Charlotte 

Street. All concerts begin at 8 p.m. 

Kavafian-Schub- 

Shifrin Trio 

Artists for the 

2011-2012 

Season: 

The Kavafian- 

Schub-Shifrin Trio 

~ October 21 

The Calder Quartet 

~ November 18 

The American 

Chamber Players 

~ January 13, 2012 

The Alexander 

String Quartet 

~ March 2, 2012 

Pacifica Quartet ~ April 13, 2012 

if 

YoU 

go 

by pAmeLA miLLer 

Season tickets are available for 

$135 each, a $40 savings on the 

$35 individual ticket price. To 

purchase season tickets visit www. 

ashevillechambermusic.org or call Pam 

Miller at (828) 259-3626. Students may 

attend ACMS concerts free of charge. 

Great values & styles 

Free Wine Tastings on Saturdays 

from 2 to 5 p.m. 

Oh, yeah. I tasted some white wine at 

the festival as well, like this North Carolina 

beauty: 

Junius Lindsay Vineyard, Second Leaf 

Viognier-Roussanne, Lexington, North 

Carolina 2008 ($15) - I adore white Rhones 

and whites of that style. I wondered what 

this North Carolina-grown Roussanne was 

going to taste like, and I was very impressed, 

especially for the $15 price tag. And get this 

– it won the gold at the damn San Francisco 

Chronicle Wine Competition! 

other, worldly whites: 

Pascal Bellier, Cheverny, Loire, France 

2010 ($18) This was my single favorite taste 

in a field of wine at the Grand Tasting, and 

my only full-glass purchase there. Those 

of you who pursue Loire Valley Sauvignon 

Blanc labeled Pouilly-Fume and Sancerre 

would find your money’s worth in this 

bottle. Refreshing, but worth slow sips. Its 

maker understands good structure. 

Lumos Winery, Pinot Gris- Rudolfo, 

Oregon 2010 ($22) I want to say that everyone 

would love this, or that it has something 

for everybody. This is so complex, with so 

many layers of flavors and nuances. Peach 

here, grapefruit there. If you are a hardcore 

Chardonnay drinker, or, say, prefer crisp 

and simple, it’s actually not for you, but 

otherwise, it’s a dance of a white wine. I love 

this. 

Xarmant Txakolina, Basque Country, 

Spain 2010 ($16) This is a Basque blend 

of – get ready – Hondarribi Zuri, Izkiriota, 

Izkiriota Ttippia, and Hondarribi Zuri 

Zerratia, grown in chalky soil. The minerals 

are there, as is the crisp apple and a little bit 

of natural carbonation. I just think it’s cool 

because it’s from that part of Spain. 

Tasting wine is not only fun, but it presents a chance to learn about 

wine and what it is about a particular wine that you like, or don’t 

like. You can sip while you shop. Find some new favorites — try 

it before you buy it. We will usually have a few whites and a few 

reds open, with the occassional guest speaker. Please stop by! 

Wine retail ~ Tastings ~ Wine Classes 

Great wines for any occasion and budget. 

by miChAeL pArker September events at 

the weinhaus 

friday, September 

Welcome in the fall by joining us for 

an evening of fine food and wine. This 

will be a five course dinner prepared by 

Chef Mike Atkinson with wines paired 

by the Weinhaus staff. We look forward 

to an exciting evening that will challenge 

our taste buds. The time is 7 p.m. at the 

Orchard at Broadmoor. Price: $65 all 

inclusive. Please call the Weinhaus for 

reservations at (828) 254-6453. 

friday, September 0 

Friday night flights at the Weinhaus will 

feature Autumnal Reds. As the leaves 

begin to take on their color, so does 

our preference in the shades of wine 

we enjoy. This tasting will focus on 

heavier bodied red wines. We will choose 

selections from around the world. While 

the wines will all share a large profile, we 

aim to show their uniqueness rather than 

similarity. The wine will be accompanied 

by light hors d’ouvres. The price is 

$10. Time is 5:30-7:30 p.m. Held at the 

Weinhaus, 86 Patton, Ave. Asheville. 

the weinhaus, 86 patton avenue 

asheville, nC (8 8) -6 

Zum Martin Sepp, Grüner Veltliner, 

Austria 2010 ($14) For the price and the 

quality and the one liter bottle and the 

bottle cap, this is my favorite white wine 

this summer. Nothing quenches my white 

wine thirst/crave like a glass of Grüner, for 

the right amount of minerals and the right 

touch of citrus. 

www.theashevillewineguy.com 

Merrimon ave. 

(8 8) -6 00 



noteworthy 

BeBe Theatre presents 

Dreamland Motel 

Dreamland Motel, a play 

inspired by the life and times 

of Asheville’s legendary 

rock band, Flat Rock, opens 

September 15 at the BeBe 

Theatre in Asheville. 

A comedy about a band of misfits 

from the 60s who struggle for survival 

in a fleabag motel features local talent, 

Jacque Glenn, 

Chuck Conlon, 

Taylor Loven, 

Steve Turner, Jerita 

Wright, Justin Jones, 

and Chuck Beattie. 

Rock Eblen directs 

this world premiere 

from writer Larry 

David Donahue. 

if 

YoU 

go 

Chuck Beattie 

Tickets are $13 in advance 

and $15 at the door, with 

a Pay-What-You-Can 

performance on Wednesday, 

September 14 at 8 p.m. Performances 

are Thursday - Saturday at 8 

p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m. 

Call BeBe Theatre at (828) 254-2621. 

BeBe Theatre, 20 Commerce Street, 

in downtown Asheville. 

ith its church steeples, shade 

trees, benches, brick sidewalks 

and beautiful galleries and 

shops, downtown Waynesville 

captures the best of the old 

fashioned small town and a thriving 21st 28th 

Wcentury arts community. It’s a town where 

you can choose fine dining, a sandwich on 

the patio, gourmet coffee at the cafe, have 

a cola at the general store, or enjoy sweets 

from the chocolate shop. 

Waynesville has been a destination for 

travelers for more than 200 years. Surrounded 

by the natural beauty of the Great Smoky 

Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway, 

downtown Waynesville has breath-taking 

views of the mountains. 

Held during the height of the fall color 

season and always the second weekend in 

October, the Church Street Art & Craft 

Show attracts more than 20,000 visitors. 

Over 120 artists, crafters and food vendors 

from throughout the southeast will line 

Waynesville’s Main Street to help celebrate 

the twenty-eighth year of the festival on 

Saturday, October 8 from 10 am-5 pm. 

What began as a small gathering of 

Klondyke 

Charlotte Street Computers (CSC) 

will continue its annual initiative to 

boost the operations of the Asheville 

Community Theatre (ACT) 

and local nonprofits. Under the 

initiative CSC purchases blocks of tickets 

for shows at ACT and donates them to local 

nonprofits, which, in turn, sell the tickets to 

their members and supporters. The proceeds 

are then kept by the nonprofits. 

In addition, CSC will sell some of 

the tickets to raise funds for a new, fully 

artists and crafters has 

grown into one of the 

finest one day shows 

in Western North 

Carolina. A juried 

show, the 28th annual 

Church Street Art & 

Craft Show will showcase 

two and threedimensional 

art. All 

items must be designed 

and created by the artist. It is a reflection 

of the art and craft culture found in our 

mountains. The juried art includes paintings 

in colored-pencil, oil, acrylic, watercolor, 

pastels; porcelain; sculpture; pottery; 

woodworking; weaving; basketry; quilting; 

handmade jewelry, glass art and wearable art 

and many will be demonstrating. 

Also featured: a variety of professional 

mountain music and dance, Balsam Range, 

Whitewater Bluegrass, along with several 

groups of cloggers, Montreat Pipes and 

Drums, and the Ashegrove Garland Dancers. 

Mr. Tom, the Balloon Man, and The 

Living Statue complete the entertainment. 

Local and international food booths include 


29th Annual Asheville Quilt Show 

SponSoRed BY tHe aSHeviLLe QUiLt gUiLd 

When we look at quilts, we are in 

many ways, looking at a story. 

This year the theme of the 

quilt show is “Once Upon A 

Quilt—The Stories our Quilts 

Tell”. The show even has a prize category 

that honors the best theme quilt. A quilt can 

be humorous, tell a sad story, reflect events 

in our lives, and be beautiful at the same 

time. 

This is an exciting exhibit for the 

Asheville Quilt Guild. The show will be 

held at the WNC Agriculture Center in the 

Expo Building. The dates are September 30, 

October 1 & 2, 2011. The time is Friday and 

Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, 10 

a.m. to 5 p.m. 

We will have demonstrations, 20 vendors, 

the quilt craft shop, a donation quilt, 

and a silent auction of small quilts. There 

will be food service available during the 

lunch hour. And most importantly there is 

free parking.! 

if YoU go: For more information, visit 

www.ashevillequiltguild.org or contact 

Barbara Pate, Quilt Show Chair at (828) 

254-4915. 

Playground Initiative 

equipped playground at Klondyke Homes, a 

public housing facility in Asheville. At present, 

some 80 children live at Klondyke and 

have very limited outdoor play options. 

The first show CSC will be sponsoring 

is Guys and Dolls, on stage September 29, at 

7:30 p.m. Local nonprofits with an interest 

in the ticket donation program, or anyone 

who wants to assist with the playground 

project, can contact CSC’s Nelson Parets, 

(828) 225-6600 or tickets@charlottestreetcomputers.com. 

Annual Church Street Art & Craft Show 

Polish, Greek and 

Mid-Eastern dishes; 

hot dogs, baked goods, 

BBQ, funnel cakes, 

kettle corn, cinnamon 

glazed nuts, fresh 

squeezed lemonade and 

more. 

Downtown 

Waynesville’s fine 

restaurants, shops and 

galleries will be open throughout the day. 

Founded in 1984 by artist Teresa 

Pennington and property owner, Richard 

Miller, the show is now sponsored by the 

Downtown Waynesville Association, and 

funded in part by Haywood County TDA. 

if 

YoU 

go 

Church Street Art & Craft Show, 

takes place Saturday, October 8 

from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Main 

Street in downtown Waynesville, NC. 

For more information contact: Buffy 

Phillips, Executive Director, Downtown 

Waynesville Association, (828) 456-3517 

downtownwaynesville@charter.net. 

SUMMeR 

Summer is burning itself, 

burgeoning 

In thick sticky green smiles 

and fondness 

(almost riotous) 

With fervid aim. 

Summer lies upon us, 

wraps and shrouds, 

A heated sheet ablaze 

and smoked, 

A moving cloak 

that smolders 

through tropics 

Of time, 

scorched and slow. 

The sheet is slit 

to cool 

by catapulting droplets 

From comely cloudbursts 

in heat-drenched ether. 

As valley city people 

lift faces fevered, 

Heat vacates, 

reveals red features 

Now daunted 

yet delighted 

by deluge 

and raucous rumbling: 

The still-extant exhorts 

of Thor’s plan. 

In time 

the torrent fades 

to faint 

drizzle 

Devising pools 

of promises 

that change 

And day 

drips itself away 

in recollection 

of drier days 

And portent of autumn 

Beyond the reach of May. 

~ Kirsten M. Walz 

Meet Sharyn McCrumb, 

author of the Ballad of 

tom dooley. McCrumb 

uncovered a missing piece of 

the Tom Dooley story that 

will shock those who think 

they already know what 

happened. McCrumb tells 

Appalachian stories like no one else. 

if YoU go: Wednesday, September 21 at 

6:30 p.m. at Blue Ridge Books, 152 South 

Main Street, Waynesville, NC 28786. (828) 

456-6000, www.blueridgebooksnc.com. 

Friday, September 23 at 7 p.m. at Malaprop’s 

Bookstore & Café, 55 Haywood St. (828) 

254-6734, www.malaprops.com


poetry & poets / authors & books 

Poetry and Storytelling: 

tHe oLd aLLianCe 

All-too-often considered different 

art-forms today, poetry and storytelling 

were historically inseparable. 

In Celtic society, poets (known as 

bards) memorized their culture’s 

myths and legends and transmitted those 

stories to others by creating and reciting 

narrative poems. Employed by a patron— 

generally a chieftain or lord—a bard was 

expected to tell persuasive and compelling if 

often somewhat fanciful stories in praise of 

that patron and his ancestors. 

For centuries after the decline of the 

bardic tradition, poets across the Englishspeaking 

world continued to compose narrative 

poetry. In the twentieth century the 

ascendancy of literary modernism brought 

about a general rejection of narrative poetry 

in favor of a more abstract, decidedly nonnarrative 

approach (T. S. Eliot’s “The Waste 

Land” perfectly illustrates that trend). 

Which is not to say that narrative 

poetry became extinct. Although not the 

prevailing mode of poetic composition in 

contemporary America—there is, frankly, 

no prevailing poetic style in this heterogeneous 

nation—narrative poetry still fascinates 

many American poets, particularly in 

certain sections of the nation (author Robert 

Morgan has noted that Southern poets are 

particularly skilled at breathing life into narrative 

poems). 

But while the narrative urge fell 

out of favor in English-language poetry, 

amateur as well as professional “storytellers”—though 

not necessarily conveying 

Rapid River 

ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE 

1 th annual 

Poetry Contest 

winneRS! prizes include: 

tickets to local concerts; 

tickets to the opera; Mellow 

Mushroom gift Certificates; and 

books from Malaprops. 

any unpublished poem 

lines or less is wanted! 

Deadline January 15, 2012. Winning poems 

will be printed in the March 2012 issue. 

Reading fee: $5 for three poems. For more 

information please call (828) 258-3752. 

Send poems to: Rapid River Poetry Contest, 

85 N. Main St., Canton, NC 28716 

their stories by means 

of structured “poetical” 

forms—honored 

the spirit of the ancient 

bards by keeping the art 

of the narrative alive. 

Indeed, because 

people throughout the 

ages have treasured 

well-spun yarns (humans 

seemingly have 

a deep psychological 

need to hear and to tell 

stories), storytelling 

in recent decades has experienced 

a remarkable 

renaissance. 

Anyone who shares 

appreciation (or at least 

curiosity) for stories 

should note that the 

nation’s oldest and largest 

storytelling festival 

is taking place next 

month a short drive 

from western North 

Carolina. Held each 

autumn since 1973 in 

Jonesborough, Tennessee, 

and produced by 

the Jonesborough-based 

International Storytell- 

Antonio Sacre 

Photo: Kristin Burns 

Clare Muireann 

Murphy 

Gene Tagaban 

ing Center (ISC), the National Storytelling 

Festival each year showcases compelling 

performances by some of the world’s most 

interesting and entertaining storytellers. 

During the three-day weekend of October 

7-9, 2011, the Festival will host nearly 

two dozen storytellers from a wide range of 

backgrounds. Attendees at the Festival this 

year will hear stories told by tellers from Appalachia 

(Donald Davis, Bil Lepp, Elizabeth 

Ellis, and David Holt), from other parts of 

the U.S. (Ed Stivender, Bill Harley, and Jim 

May, for instance), and from other nations 

(Clare Muireann Murphy of Ireland and 

Motoko from Japan). 

The Festival always seeks to represent 

diverse storytelling traditions; this year’s 

line-up, for example, includes “cowboy 

poet” Waddie Mitchell, African American 

voice Lyn Ford, and Native American 

storyteller Gene Tagaban. Additionally, 

the Festival has scheduled two programs 

of ghost stories and two concerts offering 

a fusion of storytelling and music (one by 

bluesman Rev. Robert Jones, the other by 

Appalachian-native singer-songwriter Michael 

Reno Harrell). 

The Festival will also feature a special 

showcase event for emerging storytellers, 

and a public forum wherein anyone can tell 

Jim May 

Photo: Angela Lloyd 

Motoko 

Photo: Susan Wilson 

a story before an appreciative—andforgiving—audience. 

Annually attracting 

approximately 10,000 

audience members, the 

Festival is among the 

most beloved regularly 

staged cultural events 

in the U.S.; devotees 

return from far and 

wide year after year 

to hear stories told in 

tents situated along 

the streets of one of 

Appalachia’s more 

picturesque towns. 

As Festival 

founder and ISC 

president Jimmy 

Neil Smith observes, 

“There is no substitute 

for the power, simplicity, 

and basic truth of 

a well-told story, as 

millions of story lovers all over the world 

know.” The bards of yore likewise knew 

that simple fact. 

ted olson is the author of 

such books as Breathing 

in darkness: poems (wind 

publications, 006) and Blue 

Ridge folklife (University press 

of Mississippi, 1998) and 

he is the editor of numerous 

books, including CrossRoads: 

a Southern Culture annual (Mercer University 

press, 009). His experiences as a poet and 

musician are discussed on www.windpub. 

com/books/breathingindarkness.htm. 

Poets who would like for their poetry to be 

considered for a future column may send their 

books and manuscripts to Ted Olson, ETSU, Box 

70400, Johnson City, TN 37614. Please include 

contact information and a SASE with submissions. 

tHe MeaSURe 

of tHe MagiC 

by ted oLson 

World-renowned 

and New York Times 

Bestselling author, Terry 

Brooks, will be reading 

from and signing copies 

of his new book The Measure of the 

Magic, at Malaprops Bookstore & Café on 

Tuesday, September 6 at 7 p.m. Publishers 

Weekly hails Terry’s writing as “[A] superlative 

Tolkien-style fantasy tweaked with a 

contemporary vibe.” 

if YoU go: Malaprops Bookstore & Cafe, 

55 Haywood Street, Asheville, NC. Phone 

(828) 254-6734 for more details. 

SepteMBeR 

PARTIAL LISTING 

we host numerous Readings, 

Bookclubs, as well as poetrio! 

More events posted online. 

ReadingS & BooKSigningS 

thursday, September 1 at 7 pm – SUSie 

gReene, pocket guide to Riches. 

friday, September at 7 pm – SUe 

fRedeRiCK discusses her book, i See Your 

dream Job. workshop and mini-readings. 

tuesday, September 6 at 7 pm – teRRY 

BRooK reads from and signs the Measure 

of the Magic. tickets are $10. 

thursday, September 8 at 7 pm – JoSepH 

d’agneSe and deniSe KieRnan present 

their new book Signing their Rights away. 

friday, September 9 at 7 pm – piLKeY, 

piLKeY & fRaSeR discuss their new 

book, global Climate Change: a primer. 

Saturday, September 10 at 7 pm – iLSa 

BiCK presents ashes, a teenaged girl 

struggles for survival. 

tuesday, September 1 at 7 pm – Sadie 

adaMS discusses native flora. 

friday, September 16 at 7 pm – MaRY 

Jane RYaLS presents Cookie & Me, mixed 

race friendship during Civil Rights era. 

Monday, September 19 at 7 pm 

– StepHen SHeeHi, islamophobia: the 

ideological Campaign against Muslims. 

friday, September at 7 pm – SHaRYn 

MCCRUMB, the Ballad of tom dooley. 

Saturday, September at 7 pm 

– StepHanie peRKinS reads from and 

signs Lola & the Boy next door. 

tuesday, September 7 at 7 pm – MoniKa 

SCHRÖdeR reads from and signs My 

Brother’s Shadow: Berlin 1918: a nation 

in turmoil - a family divided. 

thursday, September 9 at 7 pm – 

CaRoLYn SaKowSKi, touring the western 

north Carolina Backroads. 

friday, September 0 at 7 pm – HanK 

weSSeLMan, the Bowl of Light: ancestral 

wisdom from a Hawaiian Shaman. 

55 Haywood St. 

828-254-6734 • 800-441-9829 

Monday-Saturday 9AM to 9PM 

Sunday 9AM to 7PM 




thoreau’s garden 

Willow-Leafed Sunflowers 

For three summers we have grown a type of petunia 

that actually appears to be a tumbling vine although 

it never clings to anything but just falls. Over the 

summer, flowers are fertilized often by, I think, 

hummingbirds that flit from blossom to blossom, 

each blossom eventually forming seed pods, pods that open 

allowing seeds to fall for the next summer’s show. 

Only this year, something new was added. Along about 

the end of June, I spied a tall, gray-green, very straight 

stem that rose from a clump of the petunias and by the end 

of July, measured in at just a few inches shy of three feet. 

Leaves were evident, leaves that are finely cut and still a rich 

gray-green. 

In the first week of August the stem measured four feet. 

Up towards the top the first flower buds began to appear 

and proved to be a member of the perennial sunflower clan, 

known as Helianthus. Because the petunias in the pot begin 

to fall over when they get about two feet tall, my sunflower 

stem appears to rise from a wreath of petunias. 

Out in the garden proper (and this plant will be given 

an honored spot when I move it about the middle of October) 

the plant will eventually form a thicket of sturdy stems 

eventually topping six to eight feet. The stems support those 

large toothed leaves and plants are topped with bright yellow 

daisies. 

Their wants are few (and the way this plant began 

certainly proves that) starting with ordinary soil and full sun. 

Admittedly, their flowers are not those giant behemoths 

Illustration by Peter Loewer 

weSt aSHeviLLe gaRden StRoLL 

The Third Annual West Asheville 

Garden Stroll will showcase many 

new gardens adjacent to Haywood 

Road - the most walkable/bikeable 

Stroll yet! The event kicks off at the West 

Asheville Branch Library at 10:30 a.m. 

on Saturday, September 10, with a short 

talk by community orchards and gardens 

advocate Bill Whipple, aka Professor 

Barkslip. 

As urban gardens proliferate in this 

sprawling and diverse community, gardens 

of all kinds are emerging: traditional 

and permacultural, individual and communal, 

floral, agricultural and medicinal. 

Approximately 15 new gardens will be 

on view in two areas of the Greater West 

Asheville community: the Vermont 

Avenue neighborhood, and the Virginia 

Avenue neighborhood. 

Each area offers unique garden displays 

where Strollers can expect a Feast 

for the Senses, the theme of this year’s 

Stroll. Strollers may also find gardens 

with plants or art for sale as well as occasional 

refreshments. 

This year’s Stroll features several 

scheduled opportunities for garden 

lovers. Nancy Hyton from the West 

Asheville Center for Holistic Medicine 

and Keri Evjy from Healing Roots Design 

will conduct an Urban Plant Walk, 

pointing out examples of medicinal and 

edible plants growing all around us. Michael 

Fortune at Green Hill Urban Farm, 

a Community Supported Agriculture 

operation and experimental nursery, will 

provide an opportunity for visitors to see 

orchards and berry patches, flower and 

vegetable beds, and ducks and fish raised 

inside the city limits. And, Mossin’ Annie 

will be on hand at Rainbow Mountain 

School to talk about the moss garden she 

has planted there. 

Maps will be available at West 

Asheville Branch Library on September 

10. Strollers are encouraged to walk or 

bike. Strollers arriving by car are urged 

to carpool. Centralized parking will be 

available near the featured neighborhoods 

at: Grace Baptist Church, 718 

Haywood Road; and West Asheville Baptist 

Church, 926 Haywood Road. Some 

parking is also available at West Asheville 

Park at the end of Vermont Avenue. 

if YoU go: Saturday, September 10, 

2011, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain 

or shine. Kickoff ceremony at West 

Asheville Branch Library, 942 Haywood 

Rd. at 10:30 AM COST: The stroll is 

free. For more details contact the West 

Asheville Branch Library (828) 250-4750, 

or visit www.WestAshevilleGardens.com 

by peter Loewer 

produced by the annual types but stunning 

just the same. 

I first met the willow-leafed sunflower 

(Helianthus salicifolius for that is the 

scientific name for this sunflower), in The 

Personal Garden by Bernard Wolgensinger 

and Jos Daidone, a French garden book 

from 1975. That time it took months to 

track down this sunflower as it’s rather a 

rare duck in the world of American horticulture. 

As the common name suggests, 

you grow this plant for those graceful stems 

all decked with elegant leaves — the small 

flowers at the top of the stem are just icing 

on a great garden cake. 

There’s another perennial sunflower 

that deserves attention and that’s Helianthus 

angustifolius, or the swamp sunflower. This 

plant blooms in early fall with two-inch 

flowers that crowd the tops of eight-foot 

stems. They prefer damp soil but will adapt 

to dry conditions. 

peter Loewer, 

shown here, 

examining the 

blossoms of 

early-blooming 

Lenten roses, 

is a wellknown 

writer 

and botanical artist who has written and 

illustrated more than twenty-five books on 

natural history over the past thirty years. 

faLCongUideS: 

Hiking 

waterfalls 

in north 

Carolina 

a welcome addition 

to anyone’s pack! 

This accurate and comprehensive 

guidebook, written by Melissa Watson, 

takes you to over 150 waterfalls throughout 

western NC. Full color photos, trail directions, 

driving directions, GPS Coordinates, 

entertaining history/folklore and important 

general information such as distance and 

difficulty can all be found in this fabulous 

collection of the state’s best waterfall hikes. 

A must have for any hiker. 

if YoU go: Meet the author and get your 

signed copy on Saturday, September 3 at 

the Book Launch Party, 5 p.m., Asheville 

Brewing Company, 77 Coxe Avenue in 

downtown Asheville. (828) 255-4077.


artful living 

Space Consciousness 

“All things are born of being. 

Being is born of non-being.” 

~ Tao Te Ching (5th Cent. B.C.) 

There are objects and there is the 

empty space around objects, that 

which separates the objects. This is 

the conventional way to sum up the 

physical universe. 

Another perspective is that there is a 

great energy field that is the Universe, and 

within it, all connected, are patterns of energy 

of varying density giving the appearance of 

objects and space. Objects emerge out of 

the space. The space can be experienced as 

what connects the objects, spacious energy 

connecting denser energy, so there are no 

completely separate objects at all. 

The Universe as connected energy is 

quite new to Western conceptualization, but 

it is what the Taoist, Hindu and Buddhist 

traditions (along with nature-based cultures 

like the Native American) have believed for 

millennia and is now what Western science is 

confirming through advanced physics. Everything 

is energy and it is all connected. What 

we experience as physical objects are actually 

energy patterns of a certain level of density 

that give the illusion of solidity (or liquidity, 

gaseousness, or energy waves like sound). 

While this may be being taught in 

advanced physics, it remains a very foreign 

concept to people living their everyday lives 

(including, for the most part, scientists). 

Human perceptual capability using linear 

conceptual thought, and without the aid of 

electron microscopes, particle accelerators and 

advanced mathematical models, simply cannot 

conceive this connectedness; yet, it is the 

truth of existence. 

As we consider this, what becomes 

clearly evident is that to operate in the world 

affecting everything from our individual lives 

to the world on a global scale without a true 

model of the Universe, has to be a recipe for 

disaster, and as evidenced by the dysfunctionality 

of our individual lives, human society 

and humanity’s relationship to the natural 

world, it certainly is. The lesson has to be that 

when we limit our experience to the realm 

of the senses and thought, we are missing the 

reality of existence; we are missing the true 

capacities of the human mind and our potential 

for harmonious lives. 

A world of separate objects is a clumsy 

and devalued world. There is no genius in 

it. All there can be are awkward attempts 

to manipulate and control these separate 

objects. But as the modern jazz genius Miles 

Davis said, to make great music, you have 

to play not only what is there, you have to 

“play what’s not there.” Sound emerges from 

silence. The music is in the relationship of the 

“Don’t play what’s there. 

Play what’s not there.” 

~ Miles Davis 

sound and the silence; otherwise 

there is just noise. This principle 

can be applied to everything 

we do, which is why to 

Taoists and Buddhists, 

non-doing is the secret to 

skillful doing. It is what 

Taoists called the Fertile 

Void, the emptiness 

that gives birth to all 

things. The genius 

of any doing must 

come from skill in 

non-doing. This requires 

refining the realms of emotion and intuition 

as well as the senses and thought. 

What is truly radical, and what ancient 

meditation cultures have known for thousands 

of years, is that the mind operates by the same 

rules as the physical universe. As the Universe 

is all interconnected energy at differing levels 

of density (and this is fairly readily understandable 

when it comes to physical matter) 

what is equally true is that thoughts are objects 

in the mind – also energy at differing levels of 

density - emerging from the more spacious, 

unformed energy of pure consciousness. 

Ancient cultures were able to realize 

what modern science is just beginning to 

grasp because at the level of consciousness no 

advanced mathematics or scientific instrumentation 

is needed. Human awareness is 

capable of experiencing this cosmological 

truth unaided when focused skillfully on the 

Universe within, but just as a scientist must 

skillfully focus a telescope or microscope to 

the Universe without or all that is perceived is 

a blur, so too, we must learn to skillfully focus 

inwardly-directed awareness. This focusing is 

meditation, and through meditation, the ancients 

came to understand the quantum physics 

of the manifested universe as a reflection 

of the quantum physics of the unmanifested 

universe of the mind. 

The Universe is energy. Some of the energy 

appears as objects. The rest of the energy 

is space. Objects exist within and because of 

space. Space exists because of objects. They 

are in relationship to each other. The quality 

and aesthetics of life, whether it is the external 

world of objects or the internal world of 

mind, is found in that relationship. We must 

intuit the unformed mystery out of which the 

forms emerge, and we must likewise experience 

the resonances (emotions) these forms 

create in their interactions. 

Musical genius, as is found in a Miles 

Davis or a Beethoven, is in knowing how to 

play not only what’s there, the notes, time 

by biLL wALZ 

signature, etc. (any relatively skilled musician 

can do that), but in playing what’s 

not there: to play brilliantly the space 

the notes emerge from and their 

interactive resonances. Beethoven, 

after all, fell deaf half way through 

his career, yet the genius of his 

music increased. He got better at 

playing the space of the music in 

his mind. He mastered the 

meditation of music. 

What Beethoven and 

Miles Davis didn’t realize 

was that their great talent 

in music could be applied 

to every aspect of their 

lives. Without this 

realization, while they 

were geniuses in the 

musical realm, they 

were deeply flawed, clumsy, 

even self-destructive and emotionally dangerous 

in their everyday lives. Many artists, of all 

media, musical, visual and language, suffer in 

this manner, and certainly, those of us without 

even the meditation of an art-form, so live our 

lives, clumsy in our manipulations of a world 

we only experience as made up of separate 

objects, with the frightened separate object of 

ourself at the center. 

Eckhart Tolle refers to awareness of the 

space out of which the objects in the physical 

and mental world arise as “space consciousness.” 

At the heart of Zen is this realization, 

and with it, the mastery of the relationship of 

objects with space in every aspect of life. Many 

teachings and koans instruct the entry point 

for Zen to be found in refining consciousness 

into a subtle spaciousness capable of holding 

more and more elements of what’s there and 

not there in the field of perception. “What 

is the sound of one hand clapping?” “Listen, 

listen. This is the sound of my true self.” “Do 

you hear that distant mountain stream? Enter 

Zen from there.” 

Gestalt psychology expresses this concept 

well when it talks about the “figure-ground 

relationship” of perception. Out of the 

“ground” (the equivalent of objects and space) 

of the totality of what is possible, the human 

mind creates a limited “figure” or object. The 

quality of the “gestalt” of the figure is determined 

by how much of the ground is still 

experienced in relationship to the figure. Are 

you playing all of what is there, and, are you 

also playing what’s not (but is) there? This is 

Zen. It is also a very good guide to sanity and 

effective living. 

The practice of mindfulness is to live 

in as high quality of gestalt and space consciousness 

as one is capable. Zen is not found 

in chopping wood and carrying water with 

intensely focused (or certainly as is often the 

case, haphazard) attention on the action. Zen 

is found in chopping wood and carrying water, 

or walking down a path, or gazing at a tree, 

or speaking with a person, with simultaneous 

focused attention on the action and with consciousness 

of the space from which the action 

arises as well as the energy that connects us 

with the action and the object. All with easy 

non-self-conscious, spacious energy. 

Zen is practiced in meditation not only 

with concentration on the breath, the mantra, 

or the arising of thoughts and emotions (what 

Buddhism refers to as mental objects) - as 

important as this may be - it is also in holding 

in awareness the energetic space in which 

breath, mantra, thoughts, emotions, sense 

perceptions and wordless insights arise. It is 

in experiencing how we create the figures in 

our minds out of the ground of potentiality, 

and allowing the quality of the gestalt to grow 

and grow. It is in hearing the music of the 

Universe in all that is there and is not there. It 

is more than just awareness of your breathing, 

but awareness also of the space between and 

around the breaths. Grow your awareness to 

realize that beneath all sound is the silence out 

of which the sound emerges, and beneath all 

action is the stillness out of which the action 

arises. Sound and silence, action and stillness, 

form and space. As the old Zen master would 

say – “Enter Zen from there.” 

Bill walz is a privatepractice 

meditation teacher 

and guide for individuals in 

mindfulness, personal growth 

and consciousness. He holds 

a weekly meditation class, 

Mondays at 7 p.m., at the friends Meeting 

House, 7 edgewood in asheville. 

He will present a Meditation intensive, 

“awakening into our full Human potential” 

– Sunday September 11, from to p.m. 

at the Black Mtn. Unitarian Universalist 

Church, 00 Montreat Rd. Black Mountain 

(8 8) 669-80 0. 

info on classes, talks, personal growth and 

healing instruction, or phone consultations 

at (8 8) 8- 1, e-mail at healing@ 

billwalz.com. visit www.billwalz.com 



healthy lifestyles / workshops 


Nature or Nurture? 

Nature or nurture? Genetics 

or environment? Which has 

the greatest effect when it 

comes to the cause of disease? 

Although few statistical 

analyses attempt to quantify such a 

question, one recent study ventured an 

opinion that the problem of overweight 

is about 5% caused by genetics. 

That means 95% of the overweight 

problem is as the result of environment 

– cultural patterns, economic 

constraints, formal and informal 

educational attainment, health intervention 

awareness, parental modeling, 

social pressures, advertising, and 

personal choices. 

This is an amazing statistic – especially 

when compared with the frequently 

shared opinion of those who 

are overweight: “It runs in my family.” 

In the face of the above information, 

one must ask: “What runs in the family? 

Genetics or habit patterns? Do we 

get these problems from the gene pool 

or from the collective cultural and 

familial habit patterns?” Clearly most 

of the problem lies with what we have 

learned to pattern after, not what we 

were born with. 

Although there are no other 

similar quantified statistics for the 

most common diseases, it is easy to 

understand that the same magnitude 

of effect – 5-20% – is the probable 

contribution. Like overweight, most 

of the common and deadly diseases 

– heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes 

II, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, mental 

illness – are multifactorial; that is, 

they have many different components 

to their cause – only one of which is 

heredity. 

There are few diseases (Huntington’s 

chorea comes to mind) which 

are 100% caused by genetics. In fact, 

no major diseases have genetics as the 

overwhelming cause of the disease. 

Do some people have a greater genetic 

propensity than others to get hypertension, 

overweight, ovarian cancer, 

diabetes, coronary heart disease and 

have to work harder at avoiding these 

problems? Yes, but the majority of 

those with the genetic predisposition 

for these disease states actually do not 

manifest the disease – because their 

lifestyle choices have improved their 

chances of avoiding these and other 

disease states. 

“The devil made me do it” was 

a famous laugh line of a popular 

comedian of the 1970’s. It points up 

the desire on the part of individuals 

by mAx hAmmonds, md 

to lay the blame for lifestyle choices 

on someone else, anyone else except 

themselves. Like making excuses for 

lifestyle choices, the line was funny at 

the time but soon loses it humor when 

the disease process sets in. 

Even more attention-getting is 

the new understanding that lifestyle 

choices can affect our own genes, 

causing certain genes to switch on and 

others to switch off, setting a new genetic 

pattern which can be passed on to 

succeeding generations. Our genetics 

are not chiseled in stone; our genetics 

are affected by our lifestyle choices. 

Conclusion: Do not become a 

victim of your genetic code. For the 

most part, genetics plays only a small 

part in your risk of contracting one of 

the major diseases. Just because you 

have a genetic predisposition for a particular 

disease generally does not mean 

that you are doomed to get it. Lifestyle 

choices are much more powerful than 

genetics and can even modify your 

own genetics and the genetics that you 

pass on to your children. In fact, your 

lifestyle choices have a much higher 

impact on your children than the genes 

you pass to them. The information is 

out there; make good choices. Your 

children will thank you. 

Stella Adler Studio of Acting Fall Workshops 

This season, we will 

offer a 12-week 

Movement for Actors 

Workshop with Core 

Program instructor 

Richard Handy. The class 

will meet on Monday nights 

from 8-10 p.m., September 12 

through December 5, 2011. 

We will also have an open 

enrollment Creativity Workshop 

with Marty Rader every 

Sunday night from 7-9 p.m., September 

11 through December 4, 2011. 

Movement for Actors 

Mondays, 8-10 p.m. 

September 1 - december , 011. 

Participants in this class focus on 

developing the connection to their 

senses, their experiences and the natural 

behavior that flows between themselves 

and the world around them. 

Based on the Williamson Technique, 

this is not your average movement 

class; as a recent student puts it, “This 

class was so much fun and helped me 

tremendously to free up and expand 

my physical 

and emotional 

inhibitions and 

impulses. I developed 

a deeper 

connection 

with myself, my 

environment and 

other actors.” A 

necessary tool for 

Richard Handy 

any aspiring actor, 

this comfortable, 

progressive, and inviting method 

allows students to move at their own 

pace to ensure a safe and non-judgemental 

atmosphere. 

Creativity Workshop 

Sundays, 7-9 p.m. September 11 - 

december , 011. open enrollment 

Designed for actors and nonactors 

alike, this workshop will use 

improvisational games and exercises to 

give participants the experience of living 

in the moment. The instructor has 

taught acting for over three decades, 

including 28 years at North Carolina 

School of the Arts, and now works as 

an executive coach for presentational 

and platform skills with Synergy Executive 

Enhancement. If you want to 

explore your creative potential, step out 

of your comfort zone, and re-experience 

your sense of play in a safe and 

supportive atmosphere, this is the class 

for you. All that is required is your 

willingness to be present, available and 

perhaps a bit silly! 

Workshop Costs 

One class, in advance: $30 (Core Program 

students: $25). One class, at door: 

$35 (Core Program students: $30) 

FlexPass (4+ classes), in advance: 

$25/class (Core Program students: 

$20/class) 

12-week Season, in advance: $275 

(Core Program students: $225) 

Stella adler Studio of acting 

c/o asheville Community theatre 

e. walnut St., asheville, nC 8801 

(8 8) - 9 9, x 1 

www.stellaadler-asheville.com


noteworthy 

How Is Your Social Health? 

The Asheville Buncombe institute 

of Parity Achievement 

(ABiPA) improves health conditions 

for African Americans 

by providing education, health 

services and advocacy from a unique 

understanding of the African American 

experience and a demonstrated ability 

to increase collaboration, connection, 

awareness and trust across diverse segments 

of the community. 

We serve African Americans and 

all people of color in the following 

ways: 

Locate – From the barber shop to the 

fellowship hall, we go into communities 

of color to reach people where 

they are. 

educate – We speak in ways that are 

culturally relevant and sensitive. We 

encourage participants to ask questions 

and get information in an environment 

of trust. 

navigate – We serve as guides and 

companions to individuals navigating a 

complex health care system. 

advocate – We empower individuals to 

take control of their own health. We 

strengthen the whole community by 

bringing people and resources together 

to meet an urgent need. 

We realize that there are a number 

of socioeconomic determinants of 

Supporters enjoy a signature ABIPA event. 

Left to Right: Althea Gonzalez, Jill Fromewick, Leslie 

Council, Molly Black. 

health. With this in mind we approach 

health by addressing physical, 

financial, mental, spiritual, and social 

health. We began our summer concert 

series in August to address the social 

health of our community and the 

financial health of our organization. 

We share the economic stress that 

many are experiencing during this 

economic downturn. As a local nonprofit 

we have been hit hard by recent 

state budget cuts. However, because of 

innovative leadership and strong community 

support we stand strong. 

by JéwAnA grier-mCeAChin 

I recently heard 

on the news that movie 

ticket sales were breaking 

summer box office 

records. The commentator 

contributed it to the 

movies being an escape 

for the viewers. You are 

encouraged to access 

your social health. Have 

you taken time to forget 

about your troubles and 

enjoy family and friends? 

With this in mind 

we want those who join 

us at our events to escape 

the troubles of the day 

and embrace the joy of 

the moment. Hopefully 

that which has been embraced 

can be carried away as strength 

for another day. 

We would love to walk with you at 

our wellness walk that we are co-sponsoring 

with the LINKS Inc. on Saturday 

September 24 at 8 a.m., leaving 

from downtown Asheville’s PSP Reuter 

Terrace. Finally, we will present 

another concert in late September and 

we look forward to seeing you there. 

for more information call the aBipa 

office at (8 8) 1-8 6 . 

Asheville Choral Society Names New Music Director 

A 

by Lindsey rhoden 

fter a nation-wide search, 

the Asheville Choral Society 

“came home” to find their 

new music director, Dr. Melodie 

Galloway, of Asheville. 

Dr. Galloway is an Assistant Professor 

of Music at the University of North 

Carolina-Asheville, where she is Coordinator 

of Vocal Studies, and director 

of three choral ensembles. She also 

directs the Lake Junaluska Singers. 

Says Dr. Galloway, “I am thrilled 

to take the reins with ACS, following 

the outstanding legacy of 2 exceptional 

leaders and many talented, dedicated 

singers.” ACS President, Lindsey Rhoden, 

adds, “Dr. Galloway’s passion for 

choral music is contagious. The chorus 

has such wonderful energy under 

her leadership; the audiences will feel 

it, too. We are very fortunate that she 

chose the Asheville Choral Society.” 

As part of the audition process, 

Dr. Galloway presented ACS’s March 

concert last season. Said one chorister, 

“Melodie challenged us while 

keeping everyone happily 

on task with her lively sense 

of humor, and her joyful, 

loving spirit. Added another 

chorister, “Many concert-goers 

remarked that the passion 

and enthusiasm evidenced by 

all performers on stage made 

for an exceptional concert 

experience.’” 

What lies ahead for 

listeners? “The 2011-2012 

concert season will offer 

new challenges and explore musical 

dimensions with both singers and audience 

members that will be exciting 

and engaging,” replies Dr. Galloway. 

“Winterfest kicks off our season with 

Celtic songs celebrating a medieval 

feast, shepherds greeting the 3 kings, 

and chorus, brass, and organ playing 

carols old and new. 

The March concert is entitled, 

‘Stars and Moon,’ and features modern 

composers of songs dealing with 

themes of light and darkness, of joy 

Dr. Melodie 

Galloway 

and sorrow. The final concert 

of the season is ‘Rytmus.’ 

Latin for ‘rhythm’, we will 

be presenting works by Bach, 

Copland, Morales, McFerrin, 

Hogan and more. As audience 

members experience 

this stunning finale, we will 

ask, ‘Can you feel the beat?’” 

The Asheville Choral 

Society is an auditioned chorus that 

welcomes high school and adult singers 

of all ages. “This is a particularly exciting 

time to join,” says Ms. Rhoden. Audition 

information is available at www. 

ashevillechoralsociety.org. A new “flex 

ticket” plan is being offered to allow 

patrons more flexibility of choice in 

concert attendance. 

information is available by visiting 

www.ashevillechoralsociety.org, or 

by calling (8 8) - 060. 



what to do guide 


now until September , 011 

the Last Laugh – One outrageously 

gay, pot-smoking leader of 

a great comic theatre troupe. 7:30 

p.m. Tickets are $12. 

September & october 7 

Magnetic Midnight – Arrive at 10 

p.m. to participate with an original 

script, song, dance, or routine 

no more than 5 minutes long. 

Featured performer is Holiday 

Childress. Tickets are $5 cash at 

the door. Performances begin at 

11 p.m. 

Monday, September 

the Synergy Story Slam - Open 

mic, community-based, storytelling 

event. 

September 17 - october 8, 011 

Shangri-La – A hilarious and moving 

look at the lives of senior citizens 

living in a retirement trailer 

park in Florida. Performances at 

7:30 p.m. Saturday matinees at 4 

p.m. Tickets $12/14. 


glen Rock depot, 7 depot 

Street, in the River arts district 

(8 8) 7- 00 

www.themagneticfield.com 

How to place an event/ 

classified listing with 

Rapid River art Magazine 

Any “free” event open to the public can 

be listed at no charge up to 30 words. 

For all other events there is a $14.95 

charge up to 35 words and 12 cents for 

each additional word. 65 word limit 

per event. Sponsored listings (shown 

in boxes) can be purchased for $18 per 

column inch. 

Deadline is the 19th of each month. 

Payment must be made prior to printing. 

Email Beth Gossett at: 

ads@rapidrivermagazine.com 

Or mail to: 85 N. Main St, Canton, 

NC 28716. Call (828) 646-0071 to 

place ad over the phone. 

– Disclaimer – 

Due to the overwhelming number 

of local event submissions we get for 

our “What to Do Guide” each month, 

we can not accept entries that do not 

specifically follow our publication’s 

format. Non-paid event listings must 

be 30 words or less, and both paid and 

non-paid listings must provide information 

in the following format: date, 

time, brief description of your event, 

and any contact information. Any entries 

not following this format will not 

be considered for publication. 

Vermont Hills by 

Rockwell Kent (1923-27), 

oil on canvas. 

friday, 

September 

the elemental 

arts 

Ongoing 

exhibit, The 

Elemental Arts: 

Air | Earth | Fire | Water, features 

works from the museum’s permanent 

collection, including Elizabeth J. 

Peak’s Clouds, Paula Stark’s Red Earth, 

Douglas D. Ellington’s Untitled Landscape 

on Fire, and Ke Francis’s Three 

Friends: Loggerhead, Albino Catfish 

and Magic Moon, among many other 

works. Asheville Art Museum, 2 South 

Pack Square, downtown Asheville. 

(828) 253-3227, www.ashevilleart.org 

Sunday, September 

organic Market at Seventh avenue 

A variety of local, natural, and 

organic products for sale on Market 

Street in front of the old Train 

Depot. 11-4 p.m. on historic Seventh 

Avenue in Hendersonville, NC. 

Saturday, 

September 

Stephaniesid at 

Laaff 

Starfruit album 

release party. Free 

and all ages! 7:30 p.m., Electric (Main) 

Stage of the Lexington Ave. Arts and 

Fun Festival, N. Lexington Ave., visit 

www.lexfestasheville.com. 

thursday, 

September 8 

Jen duke Cd 

Release party 

Country blues, 

mountain 

bluegrass and 

old-time gospel. 8 p.m. at the Altamont 

Theatre. Tickets are $10, www. 

myaltamont.com. Live performance on 

WNCW at 3 p.m. 

Tom Godleski 

Photo: Antonia Eden 

September 9-11 

fresh preserves 

The Folk Art 

Center hosts the 

stage performance 

of Tom Godleski’s 

original play. 

Show times are 

7 p.m. on Friday 

and Saturday, and 

2:30 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $15 for 

adults and $10 for students. Call (828) 

298-7928 or visit www.craftguild.org. 

friday, 

September 9 

Living on the 

edge 

Chloe Kemp and 

James Daniel 

present a multi- 


Concerts at 

St. Matthias Church 

September – Piano Trio playing 

Mozart and Beethoven. 

September 11 – The Asheville 

Tango Orchestra. 

September 18 – Van Anthony 

Hall presents a program of spirituals. 

September – Ms. Haselden 

presents a concert of international 

songs accompanied by Debra 

Belcher on the piano. 

Concerts are held on Sundays at 

3 p.m. A free-will offering will be 

taken for the restoration fund and 

for the musicians. The historic 

church is located just off South 

Charlotte Street at Max Street, 

on the hill across from the Public 

Works Building (1 Dundee St.). 

media art project utilizing photographs, 

video, drawings and paintings. Opening 

reception from 6-9 p.m. at The Artery, 

346 Depot Street, in the River Arts 

District. 


twigs and Burls 

Opening reception 

from 6-8 p.m. for 

Carolyn Capps and 

Steve Miller. On display 

through October 

7. Black Mountain 

Center for the Arts, 

225 W. State Street, (828) 669-0930. 

September 1 - october 10 

Ballroom dance Class 

Western Carolina University offers a 

six-week ballroom dance class from 

6 to 7 p.m., Mondays, on the WCU 

campus. To register call (828) 227-7397 

or visit http://learn.wcu.edu. 

Jonas gerard fine art 


The Doors of Asheville Art Auction 

takes place at 6:30 p.m. 


Experience the dynamic intersection 

of art and music at 2 p.m. 

Admission $10. Live music by the 

River Guerguerian Project. 

thursday, September 1 

Benefit for Children in Need 

– 5:30 to 8 p.m. Live painting 

performance, art auction, wine and 

hors d’oeuvres. 

0 Clingman ave., asheville’s 

River arts district. 

Saturday, 

September 10 

Cassie Ryalls: 

Soul Serenade 

Opening reception 

11-4 p.m. On display 

through October 6, 

2011. Constance Williams 

Gallery, 9 Riverside 

Drive in the River 

Arts District, www. 

constancewilliamsgallery.com. 


anything goes – everything Shows 

Opening reception for the 5th Annual 

Mail Art Exhibit, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. ALL 

entries received through the postal 

system exhibited! Participants were 

encouraged to explore themes, sizes, 

shapes, media of any kind. Courtyard 

Gallery, Phil Mechanic Studios, 109 

Roberts St., Asheville, NC. www. 

ashevillecourtyard.com 


play with perception 

An interactive art exhibit by Julie Robinson. 

Opening reception from 5 p.m. 

to 7 p.m. On display from September 

1 – October 6, 2011 at 310 Art Gallery, 

191 Lyman St., Studio #310 at Riverview 

Station North, River Arts District, 

Asheville. 


Meditation intensive 

Bill Walz will present “Awakening into 

our Full Human Potential,” from 2 

to 4 p.m. at the Black Mtn. Unitarian 

Universalist Church, 500 Montreat Rd. 

Black Mountain, (828) 669-8050. 


wolf tales 

The Haywood County 

Arts Council presents 

the final party of the 

2011 FUNd Party 

Series, at 4 p.m. Visit the 

Haywood County Arts 

Council, 86 N. Main, www.haywoodarts.org, 

or call (828) 452-0593 for 

details. Tickets: $35 for adults; $15 for 

children 17 and younger. 

September 1 -17 

on the Same page Literary festival 

In West Jefferson, NC. The literary 

festival will focus on the theme “Family 

Matters” and will include a writing 

competition and a community read. 

Scheduled authors include Wayne 

Caldwell, Mark de Castrique, Georgann 

Eubanks, Jaki Shelton Green, and 

Michael Malone. www.onthesamepagefestival.org. 

thursday, September 1 

Book discussion x 

A Good Man Is Hard to Find and 

Other Stories by Flannery O’Connor. 7 

p.m. at the Battery Park Book Exchange 

in the Grove Arcade in Asheville. http:// 

TheReadonWNC.ning.com. Call the 

bookstore at (828) 252-0020. 


Rapid prototyped Sculpture 

exhibit 

Reception 

from 6-8 p.m. 

for Gene Felice 

at UNC 

Asheville’s 

Highsmith 

Gallery. in the Highsmith Gallery. 

Gallery hours are 9-6 p.m. Monday- 

Saturday, and noon-6 p.m. Sundays. 

For more information, visit cesap.unca. 

edu/about-gallery, www.genefelice. 

com, or call (828) 251-6991. 


Backwards off the Curb 

Author Chris McMillan reading and 

booksigning at 3 p.m. Blue Ridge 

Books, 152 S. Main St., Waynesville. 


arpetrio 

Nashville based live-electronic trio 

performs at the Emerald Lounge, 112 

N. Lexington Ave., Asheville. (828) 

232-4372. 


Studio zahiya grand opening 

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free yoga, dance and 

more! Discounts on class cards and 

dancewear. Drawings for free classes. 

Bellydance drop in classes have a 

maximum of 20 students, Bhangra and 

Hip Hop are 15. Arrive early to ensure 

your spot! Studio Zahiya, 90 1/2 N. 

Lexington Avenue, in Asheville. 

Gala Dance Showcase will take place 

at Scandals Nightclub, 7:30 p.m., $10. 

Call for details, (828) 242-7595, or visit 

www.lisazahiya.com 


pet first aid & CpR Class 

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The American 

Red Cross, 100 Edgewood Road, 

Asheville, (corner of Merrimon & 

Edgewood). 


name that Singer 

4-6 p.m. Free party sponsored by Asheville 

Lyric Opera Guild at Posana Cafe, 

on Biltmore Ave. Audience sing-along, 

trivia contest, prizes, hors d’oevres, cash 

bar. Watch your favorite opera singers 

on the big screen. For information call 

(828) 230-5778. 


aromatic Botanical Medicine 

workshop 

1-3 p.m. The Botanical Gardens at 

Asheville, 151 WT Weaver Blvd. RSVP 

to Katie and recieve a free gift for attending 

(407) 760-8214. 

September eventS ~ AnnouncementS ~ openingS ~ SAleS


what to do guide 

Saturday, September 

Upright Citizens Brigade 

touring Company 

A wellspring of some of the funniest 

actors and writers, the Upright Citizens 

Brigade Touring Company brings 

down the house with their outrageous 

sketch comedy. Diana Wortham 

Theatre at Pack Place, 8 p.m. Tickets: 

Regular $25, Student $20; Student 

rush day-of-show $10. Tickets/Info: 

(828) 257-4530, www.dwtheatre.com. 

Monday, September 6 

wellness expo 

Land-of-Sky Regional Council hosts a 

kick-off event for International Active 

Aging Week from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 

the Biltmore Square Mall in Asheville. 

September 9 - october 

LgBtQ film festival 

An amazing lineup of films showing 

primarily at the Fine Arts Theatre 

in Asheville. www.gastonpictures.com. 

Saturday, october 1 

Birds, Beasts & Bodybones 

Opening reception from 7-10 p.m. for 

Lisa Walraven, Cynthia Potter, and 

Carlos Steward, who are exhibiting 

paintings, papier maché, and ceramics. 

Pump Gallery in the River Arts 

District. Phil Mechanic Studios, 109 

Roberts Street. www.ashevillecourtyard.com, 

www.philmechanicstudios. 

com, (828) 254-2166. 

pinocchio 

Asheville Puppetry 

Alliance 

presents an 

enchanting family 

friendly production. 


10 a.m. at the Diana Wortham 

Theatre. For reservations call 

(828) 210-9837. Group Tickets 

are $5 each. 

Saturday & Sunday, october 1- 

2 p.m. at the White Horse Black 

Mountain, www.whitehorseblackmountain.com, 

(828) 669- 

0816. Tickets are $7 each. The 

public is welcome to attend if 

seats are available. Contact School 

Scheduling (828) 210-9837 to 

find out. 

For more information visit www. 

ashevillepuppetry.org. 

Best in Show by Phil Juliano 

Callie & Cats 

Hedwig and the angry inch Rocks asheville 

Glam-rock musical about the transgendered singer, Hedwig, with 

music and lyrics by Stephen Trask. Starring Michael Sheldon, aka drag 

legend Cookie LaRue, who is joined by her band, the Angry Inch, made 

up of Aaron Price, Caleb Beissert, and Matthew Kinne. 

Performances through September 25, 2011. Tickets are $17-$29. NC 

Stage, 15 Stage Lane in downtown Asheville. Call (828) 239-0263 or 

visit www.ncstage.org. 

by Amy Downs 

Corgi Tales by Phil Hawkins 

Dragin by Michael Cole 

where the Hills are Blue 

Mark Newton 

friday, September – Mark 

Newton’s Stillhouse Band, and the 

Moore Brothers. 

friday, october 7 – Niall Toner 

(from Ireland), and Bobby and the 

Bluegrass Tradition. 

Saturday, october 1 – Grasstowne 

and Cumberland River. 

Shows take place in the historic McMurray Building 

at 8 p.m. in Black Mountain. Tickets at www.whitehorseblackmountain.com 

or call (828) 669-8012. 

asheville Community theatre 

vaudeville Magic – Mainstage, Saturday, September 

10 at 10 a.m. 

angel Street Readers theatre performance – September 

16-18 at 2:30 p.m. Friday & Saturday performances 

at 35below; Sunday at the Reuter Center. 

guys and dolls – Mainstage, September 23 - October 

9. Fri & Sat at 7:30 p.m., Sun at 2:30 p.m. 

Details on all ACT performances, auditions, events, 

and education opportunities at www.ashevilletheatre. 

org or by calling the Box Office at (828) 254-1320. 

Southern appalachian 

photographers guild exhibition 

Honeymoon Cottage 

by William A. Smith 

friday, october 7 

Artist reception from 6-9 

p.m. in conjunction with 

downtown Waynesville’s Art 

After Dark. On display from 

Wednesday, September 21 

through Saturday, October 

15, 2011 at 86 N. Main St., 

Waynesville. Gallery hours are 

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. 

opportunity for entrepreneurs 

deadline is September 16 

Blue Ridge Entrepreneurial Council Breakthrough 

Business Challenge is an exciting opportunity for 

entrepreneurial ventures to receive strategic assistance 

and the possibility of up to $5,000 cash. 

Both startups and existing businesses seeking an 

opportunity to expand are invited to apply. For more 

information contact Todd Fisher, Director, CEG, 

Tech 20/20, tfisher@Tech2020.org, (865) 228-4853 

or visit www.brecnc.com 

Black Mountain Music Scene 

Covering events at Straightaway Cafe, the Town 

Pump Tavern, White Horse Black Mountain, the 

EyeScream Ice Cream Parlor, and more. 

www.blackmountainmusicscene.com 

clASSeS ~ AuditionS ~ ArtS & crAftS ~ reAdingS 




noteworthy 

LEAF October 20-23, 2011 

L 

EAF is one of the treasured 

fall traditions for families and 

friends across the southeast 

and beyond. LEAF’s 33rd 

fall festival takes place the 

weekend of October 20-23 at Camp 

Rockmont in Black Mountain. The fall 

colors will complement the stunning 

beauty of Lake Eden with Mt. Mitchell 

standing tall in the distance. 

A weekend at LEAF is the equivalent 

of going on a year-long multi-cultural 

music, arts, dance, and outdoor 

adventure journey. A few aspects that 

make LEAF one of the best fests in 

the country are the family friendly 

atmosphere, the diverse sampling of 

arts and music, the setting, and the 

intimate size. 

LEAF’s Fall Performers 

• Sweet Honey in The Rock ® 

• Galactic 

• Leo Kottke 

• Wanda Jackson 

• 7 Walkers, featuring Bill 

Kreutzmann, Papa Mali, George 

Porter Jr & Matt Hubbard 

• Abigail Washburn 

• Toubab Krewe 

• The Infamous Stringdusters 

• The Infamous Krewe 

• Bassekou Kouyate [Mali] 

• Vishten [Prince Edward Island] 

• The Mighty Diamonds [Jamaica] 

• Contra with Perpetual e-Motion & 

Hot Point Stringband 

• Rising Appalachia 

• David Wax Museum 

• ArtOfficial 

• The Legendary JC's 

• Bearfoot 

• Songs of Water 

• Peter Mawanga [Malawi] 

• TURKU, Nomads of the Silk Road 

Make sure your funky dancing 

shoes are tied extra-tight for this fall 

event. Many more performances 

and artists will be announced on our 

website. LEAF creates a performance 

lineup that introduces you to lots of 

new bands, represents many genres 

and cultures, and contributes to the 

positive community. Many of the 

artists will also participate in LEAF in 

Schools & Streets programs. 

LEAF is honored to welcome 

Sweet Honey in The Rock as the 

finale. The group will present a special 

LEAF in Schools & Streets community 

concert on Monday, October 

24 at The Orange Peel in downtown 

Asheville, NC. This internationally 

renowned, all-woman, African-American, 

a cappella ensemble is known for 

their powerful civil rights and African 

American culture work. Concert 

begins at 11 a.m. Tickets are $3 for 

children under 18, and $8 for adults. 

Tickets are available at the Orange 

Peel Box office, at www.theorangepeel.net, 

or call (866) 468-7630. 

The World of LEAF 

The stages keep us dancing, listening, 

and grooving and are complemented 

by a host of creative experiences, 

including Unifire Theater, 

Sweet Honey in The Rock ® 

Contra dancing, poetry slams, puppetry 

slam, music jams, a parade, a fiddle 

contest, circus arts, and more than 50 

Healing Arts Workshops. 

LEAF’s music is but one thread 

that holds together the cloth of a weekend 

experience that includes art and 

culture from around the world, for the 

entire family. 

NEW! Runners bring your shoes 

for the 4th Annual “Rock the Quarry” 

4-Mile Trail Challenge during LEAF 

on Saturday, October 22. The path 

is beautiful as it goes through woods, 

along streams, and it features one of 

the most stunning views in WNC 

when you reach the top peak. 

if 

YoU 

go 

Lake Eden Arts Festival 

October 20-23 at Camp 

Rockmont in Black 

Mountain, NC. Advance tickets 

only. For tickets or more information 

visit www.theLEAF.org or call (828) 

68-MUSIC (686-8742). Under 10 

free! Volunteers welcome – join LEAF 

for discounts and more.

R A P I D R I V E R 

local favorites 

inteRview witH Blake Sneed 

of Bogarts in Waynesville 

Bogart’s Restaurant, located in 

downtown Waynesville, has 

been noted for great steaks, 

soups, and salads. They provide a casual family atmosphere 

in a rustic setting, and have a menu noted for 

its practical value. They are located within walking distance of 

Waynesville’s unique shops and seasonal festival activities and 

within one mile of Waynesville Country Club. 

Rapid River Magazine: Bogart’s has been voted #1 in 

Waynesville for great soups, salads, and steaks. What makes 

Bogarts so well loved? 

Blake Sneed: Consistency in value, great food and great service. 

Outstanding effort on the part of the management team, 

Shannon Herrera, Jarrod Edens, Shelly Sneed, April Sutton 

and Kathryn Millis. 

RRM: How did the restaurant get its name? 

by dennis rAy 

Shelly Sneed (left), April Sutton, and Kathryn Mills 

welcome you to Bogart’s. Photo: Liza Becker 

BS: The restaurant is named after the original owner’s dog. 

RRM: How has Bogart’s changed since you first opened? 

BS: For years Bogart’s was known for being a local hang-out. 

Over time, it has been transformed into a great, very wellknown 

restaurant. 

RRM: What are some of the most popular menu items? 

BS: The Bogart’s Filet is the best steak in town. Fresh cut, 

wrapped with bacon, seasoned and cooked on the open flame. 

Our fresh salads, appetizers, and side choices are unbeatable. 

RRM: Are there any special stories behind any of your recipes 

or entrées you would like to share? 

BS: A lot of credit for the current state of Bogart’s goes to 

Marty Lowe, the previous owner, he purchased the place not 

knowing what the potential may be and turned the place into 

one of the best restaurants in town. He named one of the 

sandwiches after his mother Thelma Lou. With a hat tip to 

the Lowe family that item will never leave the menu. 

Bogarts 

0 South Main Street 

waynesville, nC 8786 

pg. 39 

u 

(8 8) -1 1 

www.bogartswaynesville.com 

pg. 39 

n 

Retail Wine, Beer, 

Champagne, Port 

Outdoor Seating 

Under the Trellis 

Indoor Wine Bar 

Cheese, Tapas, TV 

Live Music Friday Nights 

Wineseller Bandstand 

20 Church Street 


828-452-6000 

ClassicWineSeller.com 

info@classicwineseller.com 

pg. 39 

Q 

Captain’s Bay 

Lunch 

SpeciaL 

Mon-Sat. 

$ 4 75 

from 11 to 3 PM 

DaiLy Dinner 

SpeciaLS 

Mon-Sat. 

3 PM to Close 

Open Everyday 

11 to 9 PM 

562 Russ Ave. 


(828) 456-6761 

pg. 39 

e 

pg. 39 

m 


• House Made 

Pastas 

• Breads Made 

from Scratch 

Everyday 

• Fresh Seafood 

• USDA Choice 

or Higher Grade 

Black Angus 

Beef 

Full Bar and 

Award-Winning 

Wine List 

Enjoy Wine, Food, 

and Friends 

Dinner Monday – Saturday 

5 PM – 9 PM 

828-452-6210 

Reservations Honored 

30 Church Street 

Just off Main Street, across from the 

Town Hall parking lot, in Waynesville, NC 

www.TheChefsTableOfWaynesville.com 

Pizza & Hoagies 

Family Owned & Operated 

pg. 39 

p 

Offer good only with this coupon. Take-Out or 

Eat-In Only. Coupon Expires 10/15/2011 

Designated drivers drink for FRee on Sundays for football games. 

pg. 39 

b 

Authentic New York Style 

Hand Tossed Pizza, Stromboli, 

and Calzones! 

family 

sPecial 

2 Pan Pizzas 

for $ 999 Every Sunday & Tuesday 

84 Mineral Springs Road 

Behind Applebees by the Innsbrook Mall 

We Deliver! (828) 255-8310 

Pennsylvania Style 

Hoagies, Cheese Steaks, and 

Chicken Cheese Steaks. 

Find us on Facebook • woodys.woodring@gmail.com 

pg. 39 

u 

pg. 39 

k 


Serving Mouth Watering Lunch & Dinner 

Mon-Sun 11am - 10pm 

Weekend Special! 

All Bottled 

Beers! 

$ 2 

Purchase Any Fajita Dinner Plate and Get 

Half Off 

Second Dinner of Equal or Lesser Value 

Dine -in Only. Coupon good through 12/2011. 

1047 Haywood Road 

West Asheville ~ 828 255-5148 

R 

R A P I D R I V E R 

local favorites 

fReSH Seafood ReQUiReS LittLe CLaMS at 

Fisherman’s Quarters II 

estaurants that 

by dennis rAy 

have opened in 

Asheville over 

the last decade 

tend to fall into 

one of two categories. 

There are those that 

are very good and cost 

a lot and serve small 

portions. And those 

that don’t cost a lot but 

aren’t very good. However, 

there is a third, but this one is very rare, a restaurant that 

serves four-star food without the four-star price and serves a 

good strong portion of it. 

Fisherman’s Quarters II in West Asheville falls into the 

latter serving up fresh seafood and good service at competitive 

prices. Owner George Baxevanis and Executive Chef Alex 

Baxevanis have created a perfect dining experience, something 

that keeps the locals happy and coming back for more. 

George Baxevanis and his immediate family have been 

in the restaurant business for over thirty years, something he 

attributes to team effort and solid communication between 

the restaurant and their valuable customers. 

Fisherman’s Quarters II provides a relaxed family atmosphere. 

The tables and booths are surrounded by colorful 

murals of ships, underwater sea life and seaside locations. 

The restaurant is broken up into several dining areas with 

just over 300 seats. Although it can be quite crowded serving 

over 1000 guests on 

a weekend night, the 

service is fast yet far 

from pushy. 

“We want our 

customers to be happy 

and enjoy the food,” 

George Baxevanis says. 

Great food and great 

service is what folks 

want from a locally 

owned restaurant and this is exactly what they get here. 

As David Routers a regular customer says, “It’s always 

worth the wait. They have the best crab legs anywhere and 

my wife and I are from Boston.” 

Fisherman’s Quarters II uses only freshest seafood, never 

frozen and serves both fried or grilled items. Their most 

popular menu dishes are the fried baby shrimp, flounder, and 

Alaskan whitefish. Fisherman’s Quarters II supports local 

growers and when available will purchase rainbow trout from 

a nearby fish farm. 

The menu is extensive and offers steaks and pasta dishes 

as well. There is a menu for children under 12. And, although 

you may not have room after the meal, they offer many decadent 

desserts like cheesecake, baklava, lemon meringue, and 

key lime pie. They also serve beer and wine. 

fisherman’s Quarters ii 

1 patton avenue, asheville, nC 8806 

(8 8) 8 -09 0 

Hours: tues-thurs -9 pM • fri-Sat -10 pM 

Sunday noon-9 pM • Closed Monday 

pg. 39 

L


unique shops and restaurants 

waYneSviLLe / RUSS ave. 

n 

downtown waYneSviLLe 

w 

waYneSviLLe / gReat SMoKY Mtn. expY. 

. miles 

past exit 98 

on right, next 

to innovative 

interiors. 

L 

f 

o 

M 

p Q 

K 

U 

t 

S 

R 

to downtown 

waynesville 

weSt aSHeviLLe eateRieS 

g 

downtown aSHeviLLe 

d 

e 

H 

aSHeviLLe / tUnneL Rd. 

Get On 

the MaP, Call 

(828) 646-0071 

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guided fly fishing Trips 

Beginners WelCome! 

All you need to do is show up. All gear is provided. Our guides are 

excellent at casting instructions, relaying fishing techniques, and 

teaching basics or stream biology. If you have ever wanted to try 

fly fishing and are intimidated, this is where to start. 

Waynesville Fly Shop 

168 S. Main Street • 28786 

www.waynesvilleflyshop.com 

gmann@waynesvilleflyshop.com 

828•246•0306 

Call for Trip priCing 

We Bring the Sea to the Mountains 

Dinner Hours: Monday - Closed • Tues-Thurs 4-9 PM 

Fri-Sat 3-10 PM • Sunday Noon-9 PM 

L 

Seafood Restaurant 

Since 1996 

Extensive Seafood Menu 

Broiled, Steamed, or Fried 

half off 

2nd dinner 

of Equal or Lesser Value 

With Purchase of Regular Priced Dinner. 

Dine-in Only. 

Coupon Expires 10/1/2011 

1445 Patton Avenue 

Asheville, North Carolina 28806 

Phone (828) 285-0940 

Vol. 15, No. 1 — Rapid RiveR aRtS & CULtURe Magazine — September 2011 9 

w

pg. 39 

f 

pg. 39 

o

THE POWER OF LIVE PERFORMANCE - Rapid River Magazine

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